Cowboys’ Dez Bryant listed as doubtful after missing practice all week

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant increased his workload this week with the hopes of playing Sunday against the New York Giants but will be listed as doubtful for the Week 7 contest.

Bryant suffered a broken foot in Week 1 against the Giants, and yet there was optimism that Bryant could heal quicker than expected and possibly be ready for this game, which would be a few weeks ahead of schedule.

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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said said for two weeks that he was still optimistic about a fast return for Bryant, but this news all but rules him out for Sunday. Now we’ll start thinking about Bryant’s availability for the Cowboys’ Week 8 game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Bryant did individual work this week and graduated from running in a straight line to making hard cuts on Thursday, receiving daily MRIs to chart his progress and make sure no further damage was done.

Although there’s no indication that Bryant took a step back in his return to the field, the Cowboys clearly didn’t feel good enough about upgrading his status.

The Cowboys have dropped three straight without Bryant and quarterback Tony Romo and sit in third place in the NFC East at 2-3 despite a 2-0 mark in the division. They’ll be starting Matt Cassel at quarterback in place of Brandon Weeden, who was up and down in replacing Romo, and could unveil other offensive personnel changes, including an expanded role for running back Christine Michael, who has only two carries since coming to the team via a trade from the Seahawks in August.