Cole Beasley: Foot injury limited Dez Bryant's route tree
IRVING, Texas -- He has been in the same meeting room with Dez Bryant since 2012, so Cole Beasley knows the Dallas Cowboys receiver better than most.
Beasley knows what Bryant has had to go through this season in dealing with a broken right foot that will require a second surgery and ankle and knee injuries that will limit him to nine games this season.
"Any
time you come back from a broken foot, there's definitely going to be
some issues. He came back pretty quick, probably sooner than he should
have, but that's the type of guy he is," Beasley said. "He wants to be
back and he wants to help the team win and do whatever is necessary. You
admire the guy just for that."
Beasley said Bryant was limited more than he ever let on during the year.
"He
definitely had some trouble running some routes," Beasley said. "We had
to take some out of the game plan just because he didn't feel very
comfortable on his foot, breaking on some routes. He did a good job of
trying to fight through for us and fighting for his teammates. I know
all the guys appreciate it."
Bryant, who will have right ankle surgery as well, finished the season with 31 catches for 401 yards and three touchdowns.
Bryant
was not part of the team for most of the offseason program in a
contract dispute and then strained a hamstring in training camp that
kept him from practice.
If not for the foot injury in the season opener, Beasley said he thinks Bryant would have been "normal Dez," this year.
"Him
breaking the foot didn't just hurt his foot," Beasley said. "You've got
conditioning and leg strength and all that. He couldn't do anything
for, I don't know how long it was, but it was for a while. Any time
you're not physically out there practicing for that long, it's going to
affect you. Not just his foot, just his whole body, his strength. It's
tough to come back from something like that."
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