Cowboys legend defends Arch Manning after Week 1 backlash
Texas QB Arch Manning received harsh criticism for his performance in his first game as QB1, but former Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant came to his defense.
Arch Manning didn’t have quite the debut fans were expecting. Touted as next year’s No. 1 overall NFL Draft prospect before anyone even saw him as a college QB1, Manning had the pressure of his last name weighing on him from the get go.
So when he threw for just 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in their 14-7 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 1, fans were not forgiving. But one former NFL player quickly came to his defense.
Arch Manning’s debut draws harsh fan reactions online: “The Bronny James of football” 🏈🫣#NCAA #archmanning #texaslonghorns #UT #OhioStateFootball #ohiostatevstexas #Manning #Arch https://t.co/9QWJGnVujH
— AS USA (@English_AS) August 30, 2025
“You sound crazy”: Dez Bryant fires back at Arch Manning critics
Manning had served as the backup quarterback to Quinn Ewers over the last few years and just made his start as the team’s QB1 on Saturday. But he didn’t have an easy start into the role as Ohio State is one of the strongest teams in college football.
Still, expectations were set sky high for the young heir to legends Archie, Peyton, and Eli. So the fans did not let up when he failed to impress from day one.
Dallas Cowboys legend Dez Bryant, however, stepped in to defend the young quarterback, reminding fans it was Manning’s first career road start - and against the defending national champions in one of college football’s toughest environments.
“You sound crazy‚” Dez replied to a fan who wrote, “Arch not it bro” after the game.
“1 game against the defending national champions.. he missed a couple of throws trying to protect the WRs from getting blown up as well.”
You sound crazy.. 1 game against the defending national champions.. he missed a couple of throws trying to protect the WRs from getting blown up as well.. his IQ for the game is sky high the minor mistakes will be fixed as the season goes on https://t.co/oNqUh3AUSj
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) August 30, 2025
Bryant praised Manning’s IQ and predicted his mistakes would be corrected as the season goes on, urging patience as Texas adjusts to a new group of receivers.
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