CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns have had initial conversations with Dez Bryant's representatives about the three-time Pro Bowl receiver signing a one-year deal with the Browns, a league source told cleveland.com.

If talks progress, Bryant will come to Cleveland to get a feel for the organization, and if all goes well, he could become a Brown.

Bryant is represented by Jay-Z's Roc Nation, which also represents Browns coach Hue Jackson.

On Thursday, Jackson's agent John Thornton was on the sidelines at Browns training camp in Berea talking to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and GM John Dorsey, and the subject of Bryant undoubtedly came up.

In Cleveland, Bryant, 29, could step in and get significant playing time in place of Josh Gordon, who's currently away from the team to work on his overall health and treatment plan. Gordon is on the reserve/did not report list, meaning he doesn't count against the roster.

The Browns have no idea when Gordon will be back, and the NFL has said 'there's no timetable for his return.' The league has also said it will 'deal with the matter at the appropriate time.'

Bryant, who turned down a multi-year offer from the Ravens in March, has made it clear he wants to play for a contender, but a one-year 'prove it' deal with the Browns could be just what he needs to get his career back on track.

Tyrod Taylor is a Pro Bowl quarterback who could get him the ball, and offense is run by former Steelers coordinator Todd Haley. The Browns have a much better offense this year that includes newcomer Jarvis Landry, Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb.

In 2017, Bryant caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns. The Cowboys released him to save cap space, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Thursday that Bryant can still play.

"Dez is an NFL player," Jones said, via Charean Williams of profootballtalk.com. "There's no doubt in my mind, and [he] can really contribute. It was best for us that we're in the spot we're in, but when I say us, it includes Dez. I believe that strongly. "I love Dez. I spent a lot of time -- and inordinate amount of time with Dez -- but this is for the best. But he's certainly good enough player that he can help people.



"He can help teams win games. I say that unequivocally. I believe that. Just look at our last few games and see if he made any plays against Oakland or anybody. He did."

Haslam and Jones are friends, and Jones would probably recommend Haslam sign him.

Browns players such as Baker Mayfield are excited about the prospect of a Bryant joining the team.

"We have talent in that room so we're expecting somebody to step up, but obviously any time you talk about bringing in a guy like that from Texas, that's pretty exciting,'' Mayfield said. "He's a good player and so we'll see what happens but for now, we're good with what we have."

Bryant has three 1,000 yards seasons to his credit, and has averaged more than 800 yards and seven TDs in each of his last two seasons.

Dorsey praised Bryant during his press conference to kick off training camp.

"I've had a chance to be around Dez,'' he said. "I got a chance, when he was down there at Lufkin, Texas, I actually went to his workout (when he coming out in the draft) and got a chance to meet him down there. I know what kind of person he is and what makes him, he's a very talented player.

"Have we had discussions about Dez Bryant? Yeah, that's natural. You're going to have discussions like that. Now, we'll see what comes to fruition in the next couple days, but we've talked about it. You have to talk about these things.''



As for whether or not the Browns have the infrastructure to deal with a strong personality such as Bryant, Dorsey said, "I look at Dez as a very competitive, passionate person. That's how I look at a Dez Bryant."

Linebacker Christian Kirksey, who guaranteed the Browns will make the playoffs this year, said the perception of the Browns is changing, and that they're now able to attract quality free agents. They also hosted former Bengals cornerback Adam Jones and former Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland today. Jones' signing could come down to whether or not he passes his physical.

"When you look at guys like Mychal Kendricks who had a choice to sign here, you look at guys like Jamie Collins who had a choice to sign here, a lot of guys had choices to sign here,'' Kirksey said. "I think that they see what's going on special here, so who knows? Maybe you can attract Dez Bryant. That's not in my power, but I think we're attracting the right guys.''

As Friday night wore on, Bryant went on a prolonged Twitter rant after Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones, in an interview on Sirius XM NFL Radio, blamed Bryant for quarterback Dak Prescott's struggles last year.

"Dak is working on his game and accuracy," Jones said. "He has to trust the system. I think that was tough last year with Dez Bryant in his ear. I think he'll have the year he had last year if not better."

To which Bryant responded on Twitter:

"Here we go with that scapegoat s--. I charged everything to the game and went the other way.. y'all know what the real problem is .. don't put it on me with that bulls--.. garbage a-- play calling.. Everybody lined up in the same spot for 17 weeks.."

Bryant made it clear in the series of tweets that he had no problem with Jerry Jones and that he loves the Cowboys owner, with whom he's remained in contact.

"I love Jerry, just not the others,'' he tweeted.

He made it clear why he felt the need to defend himself.