Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett reveals why Dez Bryant missed his MRI

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:06 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

One season after losing Tony Romo and Dez Bryant for much of the season, the Dallas Cowboys are seemingly on track for a similar trend in 2016. With Romo already on the sidelines, Bryant is now dealing with an injury of his own.

Jason Garrett announced on Wednesday that the star receiver has a hairline fracture in the tibia plateau of his right knee. The timetable for his return ranges anywhere from playing Sunday against the 49ers to missing three weeks, but after seeing the play happen live, the Cowboys are thankful it wasn’t more serious.

Bryant himself thought it was much more severe than it turned out to be, which is why he skipped the MRI he was scheduled to have, as well as team meetings. As a result, he was fined for his actions. Garrett said on Thursday he doesn’t excuse Bryant’s behavior, though it’s hard to blame the receiver after missing most of 2015 with a broken foot.

Bryant did undergo an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed the severity of the injury. Fortunately, there was no damage to his MCL, but the fracture is something that could potentially worsen should Bryant try to play through it.

Garrett said he doesn’t “anticipate him doing anything” in practice on Thursday, but he is “moving around better and better,” per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. This is an injury the Cowboys would be wise to be cautious with rather than risking it becoming a long-term issue.