Garrett: Dez Has A Slight Hairline Fracture In His Knee
By: Mike Fisher
Follow The Fan: Facebook | Twitter
DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has a hairline fracture of his right tibia but hasn't yet ruled out attempting to play this weekend in San Francisco.
"We've had players with this kind of injury who missed no time,'' said coach Jason Garrett, though sources tell me that while that is true, it's also true that Bryant could miss as many as three games.
Bryant's injury, sustained in Sunday's win over the Bears and first diagnosed as a "sprained knee,'' will not require surgery. As of today — the day it seems Bryant finally underwent the telling MRI after oddly failing to do so on Monday or Tuesday — the star receiver was moving well through the locker room, singing and smiling and doing it all without crutches. (At least, that is, he was not on crutches while strolling past reporters.)
Brice Butler, who will move into the starting lineup.
"I believe that I can be a starter here and this is my opportunity to showcase that,'' Butler said. "However long he's gone, let everybody know who I am and what I can do, so when he does come back, I can be out there with him.''
That should be considered a future challenge to present secondary receiver Terrance Williams, but for now, it's all hands on deck.
"It really doesn't set me back,'' rookie QB Dak Prescott told me. "It's next man up. Dez is a guy who you love to have out there because he creates problems for the defense and gets lots of attention. But I have confidence Brice and the other guys will step up.''
Just this morning at his daily press conference, Garrett told reporters that they had still not yet received the results from an MRI on Bryant's knee, prompting speculation that the injury was more serious than originally thought.
Garrett said at the time that Bryant wouldn't practice today (he didn't) despite the wide receiver feeling 'Okay' and better than he did after the game.
If Bryant is forced to miss three games he'll be on track to return against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night football following the team's bye week.
This is a developing story. Refresh for the latest updates.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Josh Clark contributed to this story.