Julio Jones knows a thing or two about recovering from foot injuries like the one Dez Bryant is currently dealing with. Therefore it would behoove Bryant to heed Jones’ words of caution regarding recovery from such an injury.
Atlanta and Dallas are set to face off this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Jones was asked about his own recovery, since his foot injury in 2013 was similar to the one Bryant is currently dealing with.
“With Dez, he’s just going to have to take time and get healed up properly,” Jones said, via Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You don’t want to rush it and then it sets you back. If you come back too early, then it can put you back again. So, my thing to Dez is, just get fully healthy and then you can go out there and help your teammates.”
There have been conflicting reports about the timeframe Dallas is looking at for Bryant’s return. Some reports say less than eight weeks while others indicate he’ll be out for 10-12 weeks.
The team has not disputed the fact that the receiver needed a bone graft but interestingly did not place him on the short-term IR last week. This indicates the team is hopeful Bryant could return before the eight weeks that he’d be out if he had been placed on that list.
Jones broke his foot in 2013 but came back too soon, re-injuring himself. The following surgery kept him off his feet for over two months, and he hopes Bryant doesn’t make the same mistake. Therefore he’s urging caution and a big-picture view.
“It was very difficult for me, but I understood the bigger picture,” Jones said. “The next year I didn’t want to be going through the same thing again, and I’ve been back a year now and going into this year I haven’t had a foot injury or problem at all with my foot.”
This might be difficult for Bryant to accept, but he really does need to listen to this advice. The Cowboys were picked by many to not only make a strong push to the postseason but perhaps win it all, given the outstanding roster assembled by Jerry and Stephen Jones the past few years.
With Tony Romo now out for eight weeks or so, Bryant might feel inclined to push himself to return. He’s a strong competitor and wants to be a leader for this team, and it wouldn’t shock anyone if he tried to make a comeback ahead of schedule.