BRYANT MAY BE HURT SERIOUSLY
Two days after he had reported to the New Orleans Saints, former Dallas Cowboy receiver Dez Bryant may have torn his Achilles tendon on the last play of practice on Friday.
Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant’s stint with the New Orleans Saints might be over before it starts as the team fears he tore his Achilles tendon on the last play of practice Friday, per multiple reports.
It was first reported by the NFL Network.
If it is indeed a torn Achilles then Bryant’s season is over and possibly his career. The injury includes a year-long rehab, making it even more challenging for the 30-year receiver to latch on with another team.
Bryant, who has been unemployed since being cut by the Cowboys April 13, joined the Saints on Wednesday after agreeing to a one-year, $600,000 deal.
It was quite the drop in compensation from the $12.5 million he was due to receive in 2018 by the Cowboys before being released.
He turned down a three-year, $21 million offer from Baltimore Ravens in April and only received interest from Cleveland Browns in the preseason before finally latching on with the Saints to improve their depth for a possible postseason run.
Bryant was not expected to play this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals as coach Sean Payton wanted to him to get in better shape by dropping five pounds and also have more time to get a grasp of the offense.
Bryant has indicated on social media that the injury will be challenging to overcome, writing on his verified Twitter account, “Things was just starting to heat up for me … I won’t question the man upstairs … this is the ultimate test.. thank you everyone for the prayers.”
The Cowboys’ all-time leader in touchdown receptions is undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging exam to get a final diagnosis.
49ERS: The team shifted workout times Friday as smoke from a massive Northern California wildfire affected the air quality in the Bay Area.
With the air quality rated at levels considered unhealthy, the 49ers worked out earlier so they could get off the field before conditions worsened.
The team has been in contact with NFL officials to keep them updated about the situation, 49ers spokesman Bob Lange said. The 49ers don’t play until Monday, when they host the New York
Giants.
Coach Jon Gruden said he didn’t know if the poor air quality would force any change to the game schedule. “I’m more concerned about a lot of people that are being impacted by this,” he said.
TV RATINGS: After years of declines, NFL television ratings are showing modest gains.
Three of the league’s television partners have shown increases after the first nine weeks of the season while one remains flat. That is welcome news after ratings decreased 9.7 percent last season and 8 percent in 2016.
Pilson said a major ratings driver has been the emergence of young quarterbacks like the Rams’ Jared Goff, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky. That has created a buzz not only with their teams but throughout the league.
Another factor is that player protests against social and racial injustice during the national anthem have not been a major storyline this season. Pilson noted that “a few of those folks who said they were going to stop watching, I don’t know how many did.”
COWBOYS: Jerry Jones reminded the world that he writes the checks Friday morning.
The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager was asked on his radio show about Troy Aikman’s comments earlier this week that the team needed a complete overhaul after a 3-5 start.
“This is a tough stretch we’re in. We’ve been through tough stretches when he played here,” Jones said on KRLD/105.3 The Fan. “People are going to be critical and take their shots. I’m fully aware that this is a time we should be criticized.”
GIANTS: Call Odell Beckham Jr. the eternal optimist. When the flashy wide receiver was asked Friday what he hoped his 1-7 team would do for the remainder of the season, Beckham didn’t pull any punches.
“I think the goal is to win eight games, go 9-7 and go to the playoffs,” Beckham said.
Even though no NFL team has ever pulled off such a comeback?
“It’s not an easy task,” Beckham added. “But that’s the goal.