Dez Bryant: Dallas Cowboys WR's Explosiveness Will Return After Bye Week

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has been dealing with a lingering thigh injury that has caused him to lose some of his usual explosiveness. He's fought through the pain because Dallas is already without Miles Austin. The bye week will do wonders in helping Bryant get back to 100 percent.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Bryant's conditioning problems are plaguing him after halftime (via ESPN):

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“Receivers need to be able to run throughout the ballgame, and when you don’t practice and you don’t run throughout the week, it’s hard for you to maintain the pace that you need to maintain throughout a 60-minute game.”

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The Cowboys offense is a banged-up unit, so the bye week probably couldn't have come at a better time. Quarterback Tony Romo is dealing with broken ribs, Felix Jones is still recovering from a separated shoulder, Austin has a hamstring ailment and of course Bryant.

Getting Bryant back up to full speed will spread the field and make things easier for Jason Witten and Austin to find room to operate underneath the coverage.

Although he caught two touchdowns in Week 4, he has just seven catches over the past two weeks and none of them for more than 30 yards. A healthy Bryant would do wonders in getting the Cowboys season back on track after a shaky start.

There is no doubting the talent on Dallas' offense, so there's really no reason (aside from injuries) the offense shouldn't be among the league's elite. What needs to happen for them to reach that plateau is two things: Romo needs to be more patient in the pocket and they need to stay healthy.

All signs point to a full complement of skill position players being available against the Patriots in Week 6 in a game that should be a shootout. The NFC playoff race is going to be hectic, so the Cowboys can't afford to lose too many more games without digging themselves a big hole.

Hopefully Bryant can get back onto the practice field during the bye week so he can maintain his high level of play for the entire game. If not, the Dallas offense will continue to underperform.