Fooch’s update: Jason Garrett announced that Bryant will NOT play on Sunday, per Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas Cowboys will hit the practice field later this morning, and head coach Jason Garrett said the team will not have wide receiver Dez Bryant participating. He suffered a hairline fracture in his knee last week against the Chicago Bears, and after an MRI revealed the injury, he has not practiced.
The whole thing has been weird, with Bryant initially skipping the MRI because he expected bad news and did not want to hear it. He eventually went and the fracture was revealed. Garrett said Bryant would not play, and on Friday, owner/GM Jerry Jerry Jones said the injury was a "pain thing."
Jerry Jones said he doesn't know if Dez Bryant will play Sunday. Said his knee injury is "a pain thing." Will see how much he can handle
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 30, 2016
This comment followed a Tuesday comment where Jones said left guard La’el Collins also might not need surgery on his toe injury, and that it too was a "pain thing." Jones said Collins is a tough player and the team would see if he could play through it.
There is certainly a difference in injuries and how much is pain vs. how much is a structural or other issue. But hearing Jones say leaves me thinking it’s an effort to put the blame more on the player than the team if the player chooses not to play because of the injury. The NFL talks about the health and safety of its players, but I think most of us are aware the league is mostly spewing [site decorum]. It is entirely possible Dez Bryant and La’el Collins can play through these injuries, but I have a hunch Jones is potentially shifting some blame in this one.