The Dallas Cowboys are keeping their fingers crossed Dez Bryant is healthy by Week 7. In need of a major offensive spark following several losses, getting their leading wide receiver back on the field after he suffered a foot injury would be welcomed. With Matt Cassel coming in as the starting quarterback, Bryant might be the presence the team needs.
According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Bryant returned to the field on Thursday and worked out with the team. He did conditioning exercises while watching the team go through non-padded practice. This is the first time that Bryant has been seen on the field for the Cowboys since breaking his foot in the season opener. He wore cleats and did not appear to have any kind of issues during the workout.
The Cowboys are not making any kind of definitive calls on Bryant just yet. The wide receiver has stated his desire to return following the bye week which would be well ahead of schedule from what other players have done who suffered the same injury. The receiver appears confident that he can get back quickly while head coach Jason Garrett will not put Bryant on the field unless he has had practice time.
One player hopeful that Bryant gets on the field is Cassel who is using the bye week to get up to speed with his wide receivers. The quarterback will make the start over Brandon Weeden and is now quickly trying to gain some chemistry with Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley along with Jason Witten. Cassel did not get any time in during training camp or even the preseason, so this week of practice is important.
"Basically my job is to find throws for him and present a wide-open target for him," Williams said, via ESPN.com. "I think that's the best way I can put it is whenever Scott [Linehan] or Matt calls a play, no matter what's going on, I need to get him a good throw and just like the rest of the receivers do because we need to make it as simple for him by running good routes and getting open for him. The more confident he'll get, the better off we'll be."
Weeden rarely took advantage of Williams or Beasley because he never threw down the field. Cassel could change that. This is only his fourth week in the offense with the team, so there is an expected learning curve going forward. Cassel would love for Bryant to be back while he has Christine Michael now his likely starting running back and La'el Collins getting the nod on the offensive line. So far the quarterback sounds confident that everyone can balance each other out.
"The guys in this room can win ball games," Cassel said, via ESPN.com. "There's no doubt about it. As I said this before, we collectively have to put together a better effort all around in terms of we've got to complement each other both offensively, defensively and special teams."