Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Dez Bryant gets day of rest

OXNARD, Calif. -- Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant did not take part in Thursday’s abbreviated practice, leaving for the locker room during individual work.

Bryant missed 10 practices with a strained hamstring suffered on Aug. 6 but returned to work on a limited fashion on Tuesday and was involved in most of Wednesday’s practice, taking two one-on-one snaps and roughly 10 snaps in team drills.

In total, Bryant practiced 10 times while the Cowboys were in Oxnard, California, after missing the offseason program awaiting a long-term contract that came the day of the franchise-tag deadline on July 15.

Coach Jason Garrett was noncommittal about Bryant playing Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings, but a source said the decision was made to rest Bryant and he did not suffer a setback.

“Don’t really want to get into any specifics,” Garrett said. “Dez, he’s been practicing and not practicing over the last few weeks coming back off the hamstring injury, so we’re hopeful that Dez will play and the other guys will play. And if they don’t, we’ll get them ready for the season in another way.”

If Bryant does not play against the Vikings, then he will likely not take a snap in the preseason. Historically Jason Garrett has kept his starters out of the final preseason game. The Cowboys conclude the preseason Sept. 3 against the Houston Texans.

The Cowboys open the season Sept. 13 against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium.

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