Cowboys Put Dez Bryant On Season-Ending Injury Reserve
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IRVING (105.3 THE FAN) - Dez Bryant's season is over as he is heading to the Cowboys' IR list and heading to surgeries on his foot and ankle.
"We anticipate him having something done to both the foot and the ankle here in the next week or so,'' coach Jason Garrett said on Wednesday.
The Cowboys express confidence that the All-Pro receiver could be cleared for the start of offseason workouts in April, and also insist that a "re-do" surgery of the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot was anticipated all along. And Dr. David Chao (former NFL team doctor) tells me that in 20 percent of cases, a re-do is performed. But another source tells me that the "re-do" - including another graft to fuse the bone - is the likely the result of the Cowboys and Bryant pushing so hard for an early return to the field.
Bryant was hurt in the opener and then missed five games before returning. That's not to suggest he returned "too early," but rather that there was always a risk/reward here.
Said Garrett: "Whenever a player is coming back from an injury there are certain thresholds he must overcome and we go through that process very thoughtfully with everybody. We did that with Dez."
And now comes the next "risk": is April too early? One medical source tells me he's advice a six-months-plus rest and rehab here. Will Dez keep himself properly bubblewrapped or push his way back too aggressively? Will a "not-uncommon" surgery become a lingering problem?
Again, the Cowboys aren't expressing much alarm about the foot (and even less about the ankle, which I'm told is only bone spurs. The 4-11 Cowboys will look to a better future with Bryant, who will finish this season with 31 catches for 401 yards and three touchdowns, all career-lows in this season of lows for Dallas.
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