The Dallas Cowboys are far from their goal of making it to the playoffs this 2015 National Football League (NFL) regular season, despite that, owner Jerry Jones is looking to keep star wide receiver Dez Bryant playing.
Jones said last Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan that Bryant will continue playing, even though they are last in the National Football Conference (NFC) East having a 4–9 record, with only three weeks left in the season.
Nursing a number of injuries but still playing through them in eight games this 2015, Bryant has 27 receptions for 351 yards and two touchdowns.
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan, Jones attributed Bryant's struggles to the lack of offseason activity with the team due to the injuries he had and the contract dispute before the 2015 season opened.
"I'm not so sure the foot is an issue apart from the fact that it limited him very early in the season and training camp, and of course the way [we] were involved in negotiations during the spring. In my mind, it is completely related to lack of practice, repetition," Jones explained.
"Dez is a passionate player. He's a passionate practice player. But he just hasn't had enough of it to cope with what we need him to be doing right now," the Cowboys owner added.
In the offseason, Bryant waited for months in order to achieve the new contract he wanted, even missing organized team activities and only appearing once in minicamp.
Before getting signed, the 27-year-old also threatened to miss training camp and regular season action.
However, all that changed when he was given a lucrative deal last July, but injuries slowed him down during the regular season which did not help the Cowboys, who also suffered the absence of franchise quarterback Tony Romo.
The Cowboys' three remaining games are against the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and the Washington Redskins.
Even if they win all those games, they will be 7–9, hoping that their fellow NFC East teams lose their next outings to have a tie of some sort that will catapult them to the playoffs.
