Dallas Cowboys Rookie Dez Bryant Sidelined With High Ankle Sprain

This is not how Jerry Jones envisioned Dez Bryant's career starting as a Dallas Cowboy. Bryant sustained a high ankle sprain in practice on Friday. The preliminary timetable puts Dez Bryant out for four to six weeks. 

This happened the same week that the star rookie wideout was put in the spotlight for not carrying Roy Williams shoulder pads. Instead now the only thing Bryant will be carrying is a set of crutches to support his injured ankle.

What this means for the Cowboys is that they will have one less explosive weapon to start the season. This team expected Dez Bryant to come in right away and contribute. That's why Jerry Jones moved up to sign him in April's NFL Draft.

Bryant had the same plan.  He was the first first round draft pick to sign a contract. He has done everything right early in his NFL Career, until today with this unfortunate ankle injury.

Injuries happen and are part of the game. This should put the Dez Bryant is better then veteran Roy Williams talk on hold for a while. Bryant now will miss all of the preseason, and will probably be slowly put back on the field once the season starts.

With any high ankle sprain there is no set timetable, because it all depends on how he recovers and how the ankle feels. For a wide receiver it is difficult because you need to have the ability to plant and cut while running routes.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy now can only watch from the sideline and learn mentally from what happens during training camp into the regular season.  This is not how Dez wanted to start the season, but he needs to use it as a learning opportunity.

Dallas still has high quality wide receivers in Miles Austin and Roy Williams.  Patrick Crayton remains a guy that can come in and contribute. His punt returning skills is where his impact has been made. Even Sam Hurd is a player who has remain dedicated and working hard during the Cowboys offseason.

The Cowboys have to move on for now without Dez Bryant. At the same time Dez needs to remain focused on getting healthy so he can play when Dallas needs him most.

It's still unfortunate to see his rookie season begin with an injury that is going to cost him valuable time.