Owens: Dez needs to act on idea of signing 'soon'

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant predicted he will "soon" be returning to the NFL.

Hall of Famer Terrell Owens said for Bryant's sake, that time can't come soon enough.

Responding to a question on Twitter on when he plans to sign with a team, Bryant on Friday offered a one-word tweet: "Soon."

A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Bryant has been without a team since the Dallas Cowboys released him in mid-April in a salary dispute.

Bryant, who reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Baltimore Ravens and has continually been linked to the Cleveland Browns, said just prior to the season that he was focusing on improving himself before signing with a team.

Owens, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August and still makes noises about returning to the NFL, told TMZ that Bryant's focus should be on getting back on the field -- immediately.

"He has to get on the team and prove to everyone what he feels like he is capable of doing," Owens told the website. "Because everybody, if you listen to all the commentators, they feel he's lost a step, he's not the guy he once was, (that) he feels like he is.

"At this point the game, get on a roster, no matter what the money is -- if its's a one-year deal, two-year deal, whatever the case may be -- and show everybody what you're made of, what you're capable of doing."

Bryant had a team-leading 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns with Dallas in 2017. The 29-year-old has gone a career-long 23 regular-season games without a 100-yard performance.

Since signing a five-year, $70 million contract in 2015, Bryant has failed to record a 1,000-yard season or make more than eight touchdown receptions in a season.

"From a general manager's or owner's standpoint, when they feel your skillset is declining, you're not going to warrant or garner that money you're really looking for," advised Owens,.

Warning that if Bryant doesn't find his way onto a roster in the near future, "then it's not going to happen," Owens said the idea of a reunion with the struggling Cowboys should be pursued.

"Absolutely ... I dont know if that relationship is fractured," said Owens, who had 38 touchdowns in three seasons with Dallas. "I think for Dez, if the Cowboys welcomed him back and he gets an opportunity, then that bodes well for Dez and the franchise."