NFL News: Cowboys Rookie Dez Bryant Out For Season With Fractured Ankle
Dez Bryant’s rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys is over way too soon.
The wide receiver fractured his right ankle on a 21 yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter of their Sunday overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts, 38-35.
Bryant started the game with a bruised back and sprained left ankle. He had worked out before the game and was cleared to play. He finished the game with an average of 35.7 yards on each of three kickoff returns and one catch for 14 yards.
On the return that he was injured in, Bryant was knocked down by Kavell Conner and did not get up. Medical staff immediately took him to the locker room.
"He certainly made great strides in his rookie year," Cowboys interim head coach Jason Garrett said. "We talked about that before with a guy that missed as much training camp as he did to make the impact that he made on our football team has been significant.
He'll learn from these experiences and hopefully he'll continue to learn this year when he's out."
The fracture in his right ankle will end his season, with sources saying that he will undergo surgery to repair the fracture.
"That sets us back," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "That sets us back. I really feel bad for him, but it really sets us back. The good news is we've got some depth there. That'll give [Kevin] Ogletree and guys like that a little more play time."
Bryant ends his first season as a Cowboy with 45 receptions for 561 yards and eight touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns are from punt returns. His receptions are the second-highest in team history by a rookie, with only Bob Hayes outperforming him with 46
receptions in 1965.
It should be known that if Bryant had played longer, he would have been the best rookie receiver in Cowboys’ history.
"It's unfortunate for him because especially as a rookie you want to get as many reps and playing time as you can," quarterback Jon Kitna said. "You just learn the game. You learn the nuances. You learn the little things going on in a game that you can get
better at. That makes it unfortunate but this is a step-up league and the next guy has got to step up and that's what we'll do."
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