The New Orleans Saints made a splash earlier this week when it signed former Pro Bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant. While the Saints are among the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, their receiving corps could have used some reinforcements, and with Bryant on the sidelines looking for a job, it seemed like a potentially great fit.
However, Bryant’s season might be over before it even began. Despite agreeing to terms on Wednesday and signing a deal with the team on Thursday, Bryant reportedly suffered an injury during practice on Friday afternoon. Reports from NFL Network indicate it’s a potentially serious injury, with the Saints fearing it might be a torn achilles.
Dez Bryant was helped off the field at #Saints practice today after suffering what the team fears may be a torn Achilles, sources tell me and @RapSheet. He’s getting an MRI now.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 9, 2018
Unreal. #Saints WR Dez Bryant works his way back, signs… and could be done for the season already. MRI now, then he’ll get another opinion. But very bad news. https://t.co/V5mv4o9bnG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2018
To add insult to injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the injury happened on the last play of practice.
Saints fear WR Dez Bryant tore his Achilles on the last play of practice today, as @nflnetwork also reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 9, 2018
This is as poor of a stroke of luck as a player could get. Bryant was released by the Dallas Cowboys back in April, and instead of signing a deal in time for the start of the season, he decided to take his time and wait for the right opportunity to pop up. The Saints needed an option across from Michael Thomas at receiver, and between the mix of playing time and the chance to pursue a championship, it was a natural fit for Bryant.
But now, his season might be over before it even begins. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more information comes in.
UPDATE: While there’s nothing official quite yet, it seems like everyone is preparing for the worst. Schefter reports that this is all merely a formality, and doctors believe this is, indeed, a tear.
Testing on Saints’ WR Dez Bryant’s Achilles is considered “a formality”, per source. Doctors believe it is torn. Injury expected to sideline him eight months, putting him on track to potentially be ready for training camp.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 9, 2018
Bryant also took to Twitter and lamented that this is all part of the plan of a higher power.
Things was just starting to heat up for me… I won’t question the man upstairs… this is the ultimate test.. thank you everyone for the prayers
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) November 9, 2018
It’s an absolutely brutal blow, both for Bryant and the Saints, but despite the bad news, he seems like he’s doing his best to keep this all in perspective, which is all you can really ask for in the face of something this unfortunate.
