Dez Bryant received therapeutic injection in foot to bolster healing

Jarrett Bell | USA TODAY Sports

IRVING, Texas – Injured Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant received a therapeutic injection in Colorado on Friday in an effort to bolster his healing from a fractured right foot, team owner Jerry Jones told USA TODAY Sports.

The procedure involved Bryant having bone marrow stem cells removed from his hip and injected into his ankle, a person with knowledge of the case told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they are not suppose to talk about Bryant's condition.

Jones stressed that the procedure does not indicate a setback in Bryant’s rehab, but instead enhances the healing and should ultimately increase confidence in his readiness to return. Bryant’s surgery on Sept. 14 included a bone graft.

The procedure Jones described resembles that of platelet-rich therapy, where the patient's blood is drawn from one part of the body, treated in a centrifuge and then concentrated platelets are injected into the area in need of treatment

Jones stressed that the procedure does not indicate a setback in Bryant's rehab, but instead enhances the healing and should ultimately increase confidence in his readiness to return.

"There is not a concern about his progress," Jones told USA TODAY Sports. "The fact that he can do that (injection therapy) is a positive. This was not something to address something that was a surprise or anything. It was something to get him some additional strength."

Jones maintains that Bryant, who broke the fifth metatarsal, is ahead of his rehab schedule and has been able to do light running, although his ability to cut has been limited.

"Impressively active in his rehab," Jones put it.

The Cowboys are targeting their Oct. 25 game against the New York Giants, following a bye week, as the earliest date for Bryant's return.

Despite Bryant's rapid progress, Jones is mindful of the setbacks that Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones encountered while coming back from a similar injury. Friday's procedure – Bryant left Dallas at 7 a.m. and returned by Noon, Jones said – was viewed by Jones as a method to reduce risk.

"If anything, it would cause us, when he gets to that week (of returning), this will make us feel better about it, and how it will hold up," Jones said. "The issue is holding up."

Pain tolerance will be another indicator for Bryant.

Said Jones, "Daily, he's testing the limit of how far he can go."