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The Cowboys' disjointed season met its logical conclusion last Sunday. Yes, the team won, beating division rival Philadelphia, but neither team had anything to play for; the Eagles had wrapped up a playoff spot weeks ago and the Cowboys had already been eliminated.

There are any number of explanations for Dallas' slide in 2017: Ezekiel Elliott's suspension, the drama surrounding Ezkiel Elliott's suspension, and just about everybody else not living up to expectations -- from the defense to the offensive line to Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant.

Bryant, regularly mentioned as one of the league's best wide receivers, blamed injuries and a predictable offensive game plan for his pedestrian season (69 catches, 838 yards, six touchdowns). Whatever the reason, owner and general manager Jerry Jones expects more from the team's 2010 first-round pick.

"Well, I think Dez is right. We need more from Dez. We need bigger plays," Jones told CBS Sports Radio's 105.3 The Fan. "That's obvious to everybody is we didn't get big plays. I don't know that you ever get enough of them, but we certainly didn't get the amount that we have to have to change our fate here. And, so, I agree with him. We need to have bigger plays.

"There's a lot into that, but we've got to get more from -- he's [a] top player on our team. He certainly expects to make big plays, the expectation for Dak to get him the ball is there. We've gotten used to it. Yeah, we need more from that area."

Jones isn't wrong. Bryant was No. 31 in total value among all wideouts in 2016, according to Football Outsiders, and he played in just 13 games and had 50 catches for 796 yards and eight touchdowns. This season, Bryant fell to 72nd, just ahead of teammate Cole Beasley, who counted $4.5 million against the cap in 2017 compared to Bryant's $17 million cap number.

And that brings us to this: Bryant's 2018 cap number -- $16.5 million -- hasn't gone unnoticed in the Cowboys' front office, particularly in light of the dip in production.

In related news that should surprise no one: Bryant isn't interested in a pay cut.

"I haven't heard no talks of [a pay cut], but if it comes . . . I don't know," he said last week, via Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (by way of PFT). "Probably not. Hell no. I believe in me."