Getty Ventell Bryant
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ventell Bryant escaped serious injury following a frightening incident during Sunday’s team scrimmage.
Bryant was diagnosed Monday with a mild PCL strain, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported, adding the organization is “relieved” about his medicals.
It appeared much worse at first glance for Bryant, who crumbled to the AT&T Stadium turf shortly after practice commenced. Per the Cowboys’ official website, “Bryant had several athletic trainers tending to him, and he wound up heading to the locker room with lots of assistance from the training staff.”
Cowboys WR Ventell Bryant may have been lost for an extensive period today following injury in practice. Appeared to be his left leg/knee area. Mike McCarthy to address reporters shortly; practice just concluded. Photo via @vernonbryant.
In his post-practice conference call, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy said Bryant’s injury was “not of high concern based on [the] preliminary examination,” according to Gehlken. Subsequent testing confirmed McCarthy’s optimism.
A rookie in 2019, Bryant entered the pros with the Cincinnati Bengals, signing as an undrafted free agent out of Temple, where he caught 173 passes for 2,444 yards and 10 touchdowns across 48 games. He was released at final cuts and snatched by the Cowboys, who signed him to the practice squad on Sept. 2.
Bryant was promoted to the active roster on Oct. 2. He made 12 appearances for Dallas, catching just one pass for 15 yards amid the team’s Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He was a bigger contributor on special teams, logging 201 snaps compared to a paltry 23 offensive reps.
Bryant, arrested in March on suspicion of driving under the influence, is pushing to make the 53-man regular-season squad. The Cowboys will carry no more than six WRs, and four are set in stone: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, and Cedrick Wilson.
This leaves Bryant and several others — Noah Brown, Jon’Vea Johnson, Tevin Jones, Devin Smith — competing for one, maybe two spots ahead of the Sept. 5 roster deadline.
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Of the bunch, it was Brown who registered the play of the day at JerryWorld. The fourth-year man pulled in a head-turning touchdown pass from Dak Prescott toward the end of the intrasquad session, capping an impressive scoring drive.
Per the team report, Prescott led the offense “roughly” 65 yards by completing eight consecutive balls — five to various tight ends, one to Lamb, and a dump-off to running back Ezekiel Elliott — before finding Brown, who beat double coverage, in the right corner of the end zone.
QB throws 🏈 to WR for a touchdown 🙌😬
A 2017 seventh-round pick, Brown appeared in 13 games as a rookie, notching four grabs for 33 scoreless yards. A nagging hamstring injury torpedoed his sophomore campaign, limiting the 24-year-old to eight games and five catches for 54 yards. Brown missed all of 2019 on injured reserve after undergoing left knee surgery.
Fully healthy, Brown enjoyed a solid training camp clicking with Prescott and, based on McCarthy’s outward praise, seems to have locked down the WR5 gig.
“I think he’s doing a heck of a job,” he said, via David Helman of the Cowboys’ website. “Obviously, coming off his injury, just the things I’ve heard about him in the past. I’m excited for him. I think anytime you see a player go through a phase of injury and battle back like he has, obviously the potential that he showed coming out. He’s doing a heck of a job. I don’t think there’s been a practice where he hasn’t jumped up and made a play. He’s playing very well.”
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