Dallas Cowboys Injury News: Dez Bryant, Two Other WRs Injured In Scrimmage

The Cowboys players and coaches were all tired of hitting guys wearing the same helmets, so most were eagerly anticipating the two-day scrimmage against the Chargers that began today. After the first afternoon, however, that eagnerness might have been tempered a little. Three Dallas wide receivers, including Dez Bryant, were taken from the field and into the training room to have various ailments looked at.

Bryant tweaked his right knee running a pattern in team drills, and was attended to by the training staff. He walked back onto the field without any apparent discomfort, and told reporters, "No, no, I'm alright." Most observers think its nothing significant. Still, the team is treading lightly; after practice head coach Jason Garrett told reporters that Bryant will undergo an MRI to ascertain the full extent of the damage, if there is any. Putting on a brave face, he said, "Hopefully, Dez’s injury is not severe, but if it is, we’ll deal with it and go forward."

That could be a tall order, with Bryant's running mate, Miles Austin, out with a sore hamstring, and de facto third receiver Jason Witten sure to miss the rest of the preseason with a lacerated spleen. With Bryant on the sidelines, the starting WR trio in three receiver sets was Kevin Ogletree, Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley. As a unit, I doubt these three will provide the same match-up problems posed by Bryant, Austin and Witten.

Joining Dez in the MRI chamber will be Donovan Kemp, who also injured a knee, and Andre Holmes, who hurt his back. Kemp is a roster longshot; Holmes, on the other hand, cannot afford an injury setback after playing poorly against the Chargers on Saturday while his competition, especially the aforementioned Ogletree, Beasley and Harris, all raised their games in San Diego.

We will update this thread as soon as we learn the results of these MRIs, so stay tuned..

[UPDATE #1] Just in, this tweet from The Mothership's Mickey Spagnola with the details of the Bryant injury. - KD

Dez Bryant slips on turf in practice today vs. Chargers, MRI needed. Awaiting results. Preliminary prognosisa sprained patellar tendon.

— Mickey Spagnola (@Spags52) August 20, 2012

[/UPDATE][UPDATE #2]

Good news for #Cowboys. Bryant MRI only reveals patellar tendinitis. Should only need rest.

— Rowan Kavner (@KavnerDC) August 20, 2012

Here's a comprehensive look at patellar tendon injuries from SB Nation's Portland Trailblazers site, Blazers Edge. It identifies patellar tendonitis as a one to two week setback. The post includes visuals of all the cool parts of the knee and everything - KD [/UPDATE]