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The whirlwind week that was supposed to mark Dez Bryant's triumphant return to football in heartbreak.
Bryant Sufferers Achilles during his second practice with the Saints, and was placed on injured reserve.
Bryant, who is set to undergo surgery soon, faces a 6-9 month recovery – one that complicates his free-agent prospects for 2019. Sources tell NFL.com, the Saints would be open to Bryant coming back, though this is contingent upon the receiver being healthy.
Veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall, whose workout this week also impressed the team, is a possible short-term option to replace Bryant. However, no determination has been made at this time. New Orleans did promote Keith Kirkwood from the practice squad Saturday.
The Saints liked Bryant, though they knew it was not in the game and needed to lose a few pounds. Bryant 's injury ruined has started in the making.
Bryant turned down to a $ 7 million-per-season offer from the Ravens and a nice offer from the Browns before signing with the Saints. In addition, Bryant received interest from the Redskins, Cardinals and Bills. The Seahawks and Packers also inquired about the veteran receiver early on in the process.
Meanwhile, Bryant had worked with receiving David Robinson on the road.
"We worked a lot on his ball skills, hand-eye co-ordination to get his eyes and his confidence back after he got some balls on the ground last year," Robinson said. "And we started seeing a big improvement in his mind when he was one of the best players in the NFL."
Knowing he's not as fast as he was younger, Bryant worked on a road running technically to continue to get open.
"We started seeing more urgency at the top of his roads," Robinson said. "The Cowboys used it on their backs and slants, not using their intercourse."
Now, we'll all wait until 2019 to see it on the field.
Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @RapSheet.
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