Cowboys News: Dez Bryant misses practice, Orlando Scandrick to IR

Practice Update: Dez Bryant Among Five Cowboys Absentees On Thursday - David Helman, Dallas Cowboys
After admission to the press about lingering health issues, Dez Bryant sat out of practice on Thursday.

“I’ve been dealing with my tendonitis, and I’m shocked that none of you guys didn’t know anything about that,” Bryant said on Wednesday. “I have, I’ve been dealing with injuries.”

Dez Bryant sits out a day after saying knee tendinitis hindering him - Todd Archer, ESPN
Having dealt with some tendinitis in his knee for eight weeks, Dez Bryant will get some much needed rest.

“He’s been able to practice really consistently. I think that first showed up maybe Kansas City game (on Nov. 5), so he was on the report a little bit, limited right around that time,” coach Jason Garrett said. “But other than that he’s been someone who’s practiced really all year long and really hasn’t missed much time in games either. So that has not been a huge issue for us. A lot of guys are dealing with different things over the course of the year. Dez has this year and really throughout his career and handled it really pretty well.”

Let’s please stop talking about the Cowboys getting rid of Dez Bryant - DannyPhantom, Blogging The Boys
Dez Bryant hasn't had the best season but nobody really has, he's still the best receiver on the team as well.

One name that has been thrown around as a big part of the offenses struggles is Dez Bryant. The Cowboys All-Pro receiver is having a down season. After three-straight 1,200+ yard seasons with 12+ touchdowns, the Cowboy rewarded him with a five-year, $70 million deal in July of 2015. Since then, Bryant hasn’t broken the 1,000 yard mark or reached double-digit touchdowns. He hasn’t had a 100-yard receiving game since midway through last season. And to make matters even worse, he’s developed a huge case of the dropsies lately. It has some people questioning his place on the team.

Orlando Scandrick will be placed on injured reserve - Todd Archer, ESPN
The Cowboys are shutting down Orlando Scandrick, who fractured his back a month ago. What does that mean for his future?

"I'm still a good football player when I'm healthy," said Scandrick, who turns 31 in February. "We'll see what happens, but I'm not discouraged at all. Had a lot of friends I played with here: Terence [Newman], DeMarcus [Ware]. Those are the ones I can think about that left here after eight, nine, 10 years [and continued to play]. Even Miles [Austin] left here and played after that. So it's definitely not over. We'll see what happens. I just want to play somewhere where I can finish things out the right way, kind of go out on a good note."

Jason Garrett responds to Dez Bryant's comments - David Moore, SportsDay
Dez Bryant aired his grievances about his struggles coupled with the offensive scheme he is in. Thursday evening, Jason Garrett responded.

"Again, guys are passionate about the game. Guys love to play, practice and do the things and be part of something that's special. Sometimes, when you don't live up to that, it can be frustrating. You try to handle it the right way with the right kind of guys on your team."

Scott Linehan not worried job status, criticism from others - Clarence Hill, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
After the playcalling in the redzone against the Seahawks, Scott Linehan is being talked about for all the wrong reasons.

“I've been doing this for a long time,” Linehan said Thursday. “It's part of the gig. If you spend time listening to whatever you call it, criticism or whatever, then you're not focusing on the right things. We stay in a pretty tight, close-knit group and we focus on our team and what we got to do to win football games and do it the best way we can. We're not focused on what people think or how they think we should do it. That's really our approach. That's been my approach.”

'Several' Cowboys players reportedly say their play-calling is too predictable - Jared Dubin, CBSSports.com
After having one of the best offenses in the league a year ago, suddenly the scheme is a problem for players.

That stance aligns with exactly what Bryant said earlier this week. "That's something you got to discuss with them coaches, not Dak or me," Bryant said of the team's relative lack of offensive production, per ESPN.com. "You got to discuss that with them." Dez also told ESPN that he plans to sit down with Garrett, Linehan, and Jerry Jones this offseason to discuss his concerns about the team's scheme.

Don’t Expect the Cowboys to Make Many Changes This Offseason - Jeff Sullivan, Dallas Cowboys
As frustration is mounting from a fan base who watched the Cowboys fail to make the postseason, don't expect too much change.

Here’s the reality: There are going to be almost no changes between now and the 2018 regular-season opener. My best guess: A few tweaks among the position coaches, the usual bottom-half roster turnover, they use the franchise tag for DeMarcus Lawrence, hope for another solid draft, and there are 16, 17, maybe even 18 returning starters next year.

Who's to blame for the at-times unimaginative Cowboys offense? - Kate Hairopoulos, SportsDay
Now that the season ended in horrible fashion, the offense is receiving it's fair share of the blame.

Dallas' core of receivers, plus tight end Jason Witten, have been intact for five full seasons. All of their yards per catch have dropped this season. The big plays are hot and cold. Prescott's interceptions have jumped from four last season to 13 in 2017. The offensive line play has been shaky when left tackle Tyron Smith has been unable to play because of injury.

Jason Witten still chasing championship - Drew Davison, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jason Witten has no plans to hang up the cleats this offseason, not when he's got a young team around him.

“I still feel the same way,” Witten said. “I haven’t had a ton of time to process the season and what’s taken place, but I still believe I feel too good and see too many positives to I think I can still play at that level that I expect to play at and they expect me to play at here. So that’s fully my intentions moving forward.”