Welcome back: Everyone happy to see Dez Bryant in camp

Dez Bryant, accompanied by Tony Romo, ran onto the field to cheers from the crowd of 2,578. He received the most attention on Day 1 of training camp, stealing the spotlight from even the quarterback.

The Cowboys will limit the receiver until he gets his football legs back, but just being here is enough for now.

“It’s back to normal,” receivers coach Derek Dooley said. “I know he’s excited to be back, excited to be back around his teammates. So far, he hasn’t really missed a beat, but I’m sure it’s going to take a few days to kind of get back to where he was.”

After the Cowboys put the franchise tag on Bryant, he threatened to miss regular-season games without a long-term deal. He insisted Thursday that he would have stayed away.

But no one was more excited for his return than he was.

“Truthfully man, I just let God take care of it,” Bryant said. “That’s exactly what I did. I tried my best to stay in shape, which I think I did an outstanding job. Today, it showed that you really need to have that helmet on and be around teammates. It was a good feel. It’s like any other day.”

Bryant, 26, signed a five-year, $70 million contract with $45 million guaranteed, including $20 million to sign, on July 15. It came down to the 11th hour, with the Cowboys finalizing the deal with Bryant’s agent only 30 minutes before the league’s deadline.

Coach Jason Garrett greeted Bryant at the team’s hotel complex Wednesday with a man hug, and owner Jerry Jones shared a handshake with the receiver.

Bryant’s presence ended a potential distraction for the defending NFC East champions.

“I think it’s a big deal [he’s here],” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “The Dez Watch would have been something that was not welcome I’m sure by coach Garrett, by his teammates, certainly by Jerry and myself. We wanted to avoid that, and Dez is a huge part of this football team.

“He’s a big reason for our success last year, the energy he brings to not only the field during a game, but to a practice field, to a workout, to a meeting, just his presence is a big deal. I think to have him here from Day 1 was a big part of what was pushing us as well. He’s a leader on this team. He’s a big part of it, and we wanted to have him here.”

Bryant received the long-term financial security he sought for his children. While he recently began house hunting in Plano, planning to move there from DeSoto, he said he has yet to make any big purchases.

He has been money for the Cowboys from the day he arrived as a first-round draft pick in 2010. Bryant ranks third in NFL history in receiving touchdowns for the first five seasons with 56, behind only Jerry Rice and Randy Moss.

“You’ve seen Dez as an older, more mature Dez,” Romo said. “He’s come a long way since he first stepped on the field here, and I think it’s exciting to see his growth as a player, as a person. He’s like a little brother to me. I was happy for him. He deserves it.

The Cowboys came close to advancing to the NFC Championship Game last season, but replay overturned Bryant’s fourth-down catch to the Green Bay 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. The Packers ran out the clock.

Everyone, including the league’s competition committee, dissected the play in the off-season. Bryant, though, does not count himself among those questioning the rule.

“You know people are going to think whatever they want to think,” Bryant said. “I let it go. I dwelled on it for a whole month. It’s out of my system. It just made me want to work harder, made me not even … It made me work to not ever even be in that position again.”

But Bryant said he has not watched the play in its entirety, getting up and leaving the room as he starts to come down with the ball.

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Welcome back: Everyone happy to see Dez Bryant in camp."