5:16pm: According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link), Bryant actually underwent his procedure today, getting a screw inserted in his foot. The wideout’s recovery time is fluid, and could range from four weeks to eight weeks, says Mortensen.
3:44pm: The team does not plan on using the IR-DTR designation on Bryant, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). With rehab, the team is hoping that his timetable will be closer to four weeks than six.
9:14am: Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his right foot, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Bryant will have surgery on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Bryant was off to a solid start in 2015 as he caught five passes for 48 yards in the Sunday night win over the Giants. However, he’ll have to wait until October to resume play under his lucrative new five-year, $70MM deal. With Bryant sidelined, the Cowboys will be relying even more heavily on tight end Jason Witten as well as receivers like Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley.
Bryant, 26, has established himself as an elite, durable wideout during the first five seasons of his career. The former first-round pick has racked up 381 catches and 56 touchdowns while appearing in 75 of a possible 80 regular-season games since Dallas selected him 24th overall out of Oklahoma State in 2010. Bryant hasn’t missed a game since 2011 and is coming off his third straight season with at least 88 catches and 12 TDs.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder set a new career high for touchdowns in 2014 by reaching the end zone 16 times, and he also tied his previous best yards-per-catch mark (15.0). As a result, Bryant earned First-Team All-Pro honors and his second consecutive Pro Bowl invitation.
In addition to Bryant, Cowboys rookie defensive end Randy Gregory suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s game and will miss four to six weeks, according to Clarence Hill of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).