The Cowboys have completed their OTAs and minicamp practices. The offseason is history. Training camp in Oxnard is up next in late July.
The staff writers at DallasCowboys.com – Rob Phillips, David Helman, Nick Eatman and Bryan Broaddus – are attempting to answer 20 pressing questions as the team gets ready for camp and the 2016 season.
Today, our staff continues the series focusing on what to expect from Dez Bryant this season after battling injuries in 2015.
No. 4) Will Dez Bryant Bounce Back?
Rob Phillips: Everything's in place for Dez to have a rebound season. When you think about it, he never was able to find a rhythm even before he broke his foot in the season opener. He missed most of the offseason program trying to work out a long-term deal while under the franchise tag. He strained his hamstring just a few days into training camp, didn't play in preseason and then got injured in Week 1. He missed five games and ended up battling foot and ankle injuries later in the season before going on injured reserve the final two games. Just a very uneven year for the star wideout. This year Dez has already found balance by spending the entire offseason with the team and incrementally increasing his foot surgery rehab as he points to camp. He's had the offseason to heal, he's listened to the athletic training and medical staff, and you know he's motivated to have a big year.
Nick Eatman:Without a doubt, I think Dez Bryant will return to Dez-form once again. Even last year, he wasn't 100 percent when he returned and still had some moments of greatness. I go back to the time Julio Jones and Roddy White questioned if Dez would be the same because his foot injury was similar to what Jones had in 2014. Turns out, they were right on. Dez wasn't the same at all. However, that being said, Jones was dynamic last year for the Falcons, even torching the Cowboys along the way in Week 3. So knowing that all injuries are different, if Dez can at least come back the way Jones did last year, then yes, he should be just fine for the Cowboys in 2016. Having a healthy Romo on his side certainly won't hurt either.
David Helman:Yes, but I'd like to see him practice fully-healthy. It's not that I don't think he's healthy, it's just that it's been a year and a half since he's been truly 100 percent for a Cowboys practice. But once Dez gets his feet back underneath him, I absolutely believe he'll bounce back. In the four years before the 2015 seasons, Dez missed a grand total of one game. He's proven his toughness and his dependability. Heck, he even played nine games despite the litany of injuries he was dealing with last season. So with all of that in mind, I don't have a problem projecting Dez to play at a Pro Bowl level in 2016. He just needs to start with a healthy training camp.[embeddedad0]
