Dez Bryant Won't Play In Cowboys Preseason Finale, Jerry Jones Says

Cowboys rookie WR Dez Bryant has been medically cleared to play in the final preseason game but owner Jerry Jones said on Wednesday that Bryant will not play. He says it's due in part to the fact that the first team isn't playing at all.

That doesn't necessarily mean Bryant's going to be a starter, SB Nation's Blogging The Boys writes.

I don't think that Jerry means Dez will be a starter at WR, that position still belongs to the much-maligned Roy Williams. But it's interesting in respect to Patrick Crayton. Since you can kind of assume the third WR in the offense is a part-time first-teamer, was Jerry dropping a hint that Dez is ahead of Crayton on the depth chart? Then again, maybe this all over-speculation on my part.

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Cowboys WR Dez Bryant suffered a high ankle sprain at the end of July. The injury was said to keep him out 4-6 weeks and roughly a month later he's been cleared to play.

However, just because he's been cleared to play doesn't mean he'll actually play, according to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

"I don't know," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said when asked if Bryant would play Thursday. "He'll be able to play. He'll be ready to go. It's a question of is it worth some of the risk. If we end up playing our regulars, then that might make a difference. We typically have not played a full set of our players, so that might be something we might consider since we've got a chance to have our starters out there."

Bryant hasn't practiced since July 30 when he injured the ankle.

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After Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant left Friday's practice with an ankle injury, the team expressed initial optimism, but it now appears that the first-round pick will miss a few weeks. From the Dallas Morning News:

The Cowboys have confirmed that Dez Bryant has suffered a high right ankle sprain and will miss 4-6 weeks.

[...] If Bryant misses four weeks he could return for the Sept. 2 preseason finale vs. Miami. If the injury drags out to six weeks he could miss the regular-season opener Sept. 12 at Washington.

This isn't the first injury that Bryant has suffered since the draft, and as a rookie, he needs as much on-field experience as he can get before the regular season starts.

For more, check out SB Nation's Cowboys blog, Blogging the Boys.