The Dallas Cowboys have Dez Bryant banged up heading into Week 16, as the receiver missed practice for two straight days, but he is expected to play against the Bills on Sunday. Kellen Moore is getting the start over Matt Cassel for the Cowboys, who could be in position for a top five pick in the draft depending on how the final two games play out.
The Cowboys have said they are not planning to shut down Bryant this season despite their losing record and Jason Garrett said that as long as Bryant was healthy, he would play against the Bills. According to Pro Football Talk, Bryant missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday while dealing with ankle and foot injuries, but he is expected to play. Bryant has only played in nine games this season and over the past three weeks he has put up a combined eight receptions and one touchdown for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have opted to bench Matt Cassel for Kellen Moore this week, as Jason Garrett said on Monday that Moore would be the starter. Tony Romo has dealt with multiple injuries all season and after using Brandon Weeden as the starter, the Cowboys turned to Cassel. Cassel did not play all that well for the Cowboys during his time starting for Dallas and now Moore will get a shot. Moore got into the game for the Cowboys on Saturday against the Jets and now he will take over as the starter.
The Cowboys have the chance to get a top pick in the 2016 draft next year, as they currently are 4-10 and could slot into the top five depending on how the final two games turn out. Jerry Jones said to the media that the team will have to take advantage of having a top draft pick and that could mean drafting a quarterback to eventually take over for Tony Romo. Players like Paxton Lynch, Jared Goff, Connor Cook and Cody Kessler all could be potential targets.
The Cowboys also could look at bringing back DeMarco Murray if he ends up leaving Philadelphia after this season, but that is looking unlikely right now. Murray signed a big contract with the Eagles, but things have not gone well this season, as Murray has been frustrated by his role. According to Albert Breer at NFL.com, Murray may want to return to Dallas, but some sources close to the team said that the Cowboys may not want to bring Murray back at this point.
The Cowboys have finally placed Tony Romo on injured reserve after being eliminated from the playoffs and that means he will be out until at least 2016 and will not return for Week 17. According to Pro Football Talk, Romo and Gavin Escobar were placed on injured reserve and there is a chance that Escobar could miss the start of next season. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Escobar tore his ACL on Saturday night against the Jets and he likely will miss all of the offseason program for Dallas.