SAN DIEGO — Dez Bryant's stellar training camp with the Dallas Cowboys faces an obstacle Monday after he tweaked his right knee in a one-on-one drill while working out with the Chargers and is now undergoing an MRI.
"No, no, I'm all right!'' Bryant told FOXSportsSouthwest.com after exiting the trainers' room on the way to the examination.
Maybe Bryant's optimism – along with the fact that he wasn't limping as he was 20 minutes earlier when he left the field – will be proven right and the MRI will prove to be nothing more than precautionary. But the Cowboys are holding their breath here in part because Bryant's first-team running mate, Pro Bowl receiver Miles Austin, is also out with a hamstring.
Meanwhile, another receiver, Andre Holmes, hurt his back Monday and will also get an MRI. Receiver Donovan Kemp (knee) also sustained injuries.
"Hopefully, Dez's injury is not severe, but if it is, we'll deal with it and go forward,'' Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said.
The club will consider signing a receiver depending on the results of the tests.
Injuries have thinned the pass-catching corps – most seriously with tight end Jason Witten's spleen injury – so in the workouts at the Chargers facility, little-known receiver David Little got some snaps with the first team and third-string tight end James Hanna lined up outside in some formations. Rookie Danny Coale did return from injury at the receiver spot, working as a backup with Kevin Ogletree and Duane Harris finishing as the first-team receivers.
That's a step way down from the Austin/Bryant tandem,
"We've talked many times about how injuries mean opportunities,'' Garrett said before acknowledging what a blow the loss of Bryant would mean. "Dez has been outstanding. He's committed to being the best player possible, and has matured in a lot of ways as a receiver … He's grown to become a complete player at the position.''
