Dez Bryant’s Broken Foot Puts The Cowboys In A Bind

Poor Dez Bryant.

The Dallas Cowboys’ star wide receiver broke his foot in the season opener versus the New York Giants. According to USA Today, Bryant will likely miss four to six weeks after having his foot surgically repaired. The injury came prior to the Cowboys 27-26 come-from-behind win.

The timing for Dez Bryant’s broken foot could not be worse for him or the Cowboys. It was his second premature trip to the team locker room, where he had to visit with the Cowboys’ medical staff.

Bryant suffered the broken foot after he had to go to the locker room early in the second quarter. NBC Sports reported that he was dealing with dehydration on the field. At the time, the Giants had held him to one catch.

Before Dez Bryant broke his foot, he had five catches for 48 yards.

The Dallas Cowboys were relying heavily on Bryant this season. As a sign of good faith, they inked the wide receiver to a five-year, $70 million contract in the offseason. Thanks to Bryant’s broken foot, Jerry Jones and company will have to wait at least a month to see their investment come to promise.

I'll be back soon but how about 9????????#cowboynation

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 14, 2015

Can the Cowboys hold firm during the time Dez Bryant is out?

Luckily for Dallas, they have other proven players who can step up in the interim.

Guys like Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley are in the position keep the winning going, but it will be tough in the beginning. There will be some adjustments they have to make this week. A road game with the Philadelphia Eagles awaits them. That will not be an easy task. In fact, the next six games are tough ones. They play the New Orleans Saints, Giants, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

With a stretch of contests like this, the Cowboys could conceivably be a 1-6 team.

Dez Bryant is a receiver defenses have to gameplan for. His presence makes things easier for the team.

The majority of the targets will go to Terrence Williams. Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan declared that some adjustments will have to be made going into next week and beyond.

“We just have to go back and take a look at what we did in the offseason. We really worked our depth with Dez not being there in the offseason. Terrance (Williams) stepped up and had some key catches in that situation. Street had a lot of playing time in those situations, so he’s a lot more confident in those situations. We are going to get a little thinner at receiver with Dez being out.”

Dez Bryant’s broken foot leaves the Dallas Cowboys in a bind. They have the players to make due for now. It would not be a shocker to see them run the football more.

Cowboys running backs combined for 81 yards on the ground. They also caught a total of 12 passes for over 130 yards, and similar output will help ease the loss of Dez Bryant.

Having another receiver step up in Bryant’s place is a must. Jason Witten’s presence will aid the Cowboys, much like his late touchdown catch did in the win.

Dez Bryant’s broken foot put the Dallas Cowboys in a tough spot. Can they stand firm until he returns?

[Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Sport]