METAIRIE, La. — Just two days after Dez Bryant finally returned to the NFL, it appears that his 2018 season is now over.
The New Orleans Saints fear that Bryant tore his Achilles tendon on the final play of Friday’s practice, a source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The news was first reported by the NFL Network, which said Bryant was to undergo an MRI.
But a source told Schefter that testing on Bryant’s Achilles is considered “a formality,” as doctors already believe it is torn. The injury is expected to sideline Bryant for eight months, putting him on track to potentially be ready for training camp next year, when he again will be a free agent.
Bryant acknowledged a setback in a tweet on Friday afternoon, writing, “This is the ultimate test.”
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
The Saints officially listed Bryant as limited in Friday’s practice with an ankle injury. Coach Sean Payton did not acknowledge the injury when asked about Bryant after the practice, before the news broke.
Bryant, who turned 30 on Sunday, had not been with a team since he was released by the Dallas Cowboys in April. He practiced for the first time on Thursday.
The Saints could potentially turn to another decorated veteran receiver, Brandon Marshall, who also impressed the team during a Tuesday workout, according to Schefter. The Saints also auditioned veteran receiver Kamar Aiken on Tuesday before opting to sign Bryant.
Bryant was unlikely to play this weekend at Cincinnati, regardless, so the Saints don’t immediately have to alter their game plan, with Michael Thomas and rookie Tre’Quan Smith as their top two receivers. But they will almost certainly look to add depth at the position next week after placing Cameron Meredith on injured reserve on Wednesday and Ted Ginn Jr. on IR last month.
The Saints also could activate undrafted rookie receiver Keith Kirkwood from their practice squad for added depth Sunday.
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Adam Schefter details the latest on Saints’ WR Dez Bryant tearing his Achilles tendon on the last play of practice Friday.
Meanwhile, for Bryant, it continues a tumultuous year that began with a messy divorce in Dallas. The three-time Pro Bowler was released in April when he was due to earn $12.5 million.
Bryant said Thursday that he had been working out and getting his body and mind right all season — but he also acknowledged that he was “thinking about preparing for the next year” before he got the call from Payton to come audition in New Orleans.
“Just lot of ups and downs,” Bryant said when asked to describe the past two months. “Wanting to play football, thinking about playing football.”
Bryant said he had turned down other opportunities to work out this season, without offering any specifics. He reportedly turned down at least one multiyear contract offer during the offseason.
When asked what made this situation different, Bryant had pointed first to the opportunity to play with “big GOAT” Drew Brees and “baby GOATs” Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Bryant was among the NFL’s best in his prime. He recorded three straight seasons of at least 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns from 2012 to 2014, and he earned Pro Bowl invites in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
But his production had been slipping in recent years as he battled foot and knee injuries; he had 69 catches for 838 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games played last year. And the Cowboys were ultimately ready to move on from what executive vice president Stephen Jones described as a “fiery” personality that could sometimes be a “distraction.”
Bryant rejected the notion Thursday that he would be a locker room chemistry concern.
“I’m always gonna be me, you know, who I am. I’m not a bad guy. I’ve always been a good guy. You can ask my teammates — my ex-teammates — how I am,” Bryant said. “I love the locker room. It’s like family. Every locker room that I’ve been in from middle school, high school, college to the pros, it’s always been like a family. You have a natural bond. It’s more than just being in the locker room, it’s outside of it too.”
Bryant signed a prorated contract that will pay him $600,000. He could have made up to $500,000 in incentives for reaching specific reception totals: $50,000 for catching 25 passes in the Saints’ remaining seven games after Sunday; an additional $100,000 for 30 catches; $150,000 for 35 catches; and an additional $200,000 for 40 receptions.
Changing a manager, whether at the start of a season or partway through the campaign, is an inherently risky move as clubs seek both an immediate impact and long-term improvement.
Thierry Henry’s atrocious start to life at AS Monaco currently stands as a stark example of how things can go wrong. For the following seven clubs, however, the gamble appears to be paying off handsomely at this stage in the European football calendar.
Lucien Favre, Borussia Dortmund
Replacing Peter Stoger, whose style of football failed to enthrall many Dortmund fans, Favre has brought a new verve to the Westfalenstadion. BVB are four points clear atop the Bundesliga and went 15 games unbeaten in all competitions to start the season, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
1 – For the first time since MD30 of the 2011-12 season, @BlackYellow are above Bayern in the table when they meet in the #Bundesliga – Dortmund went on to win the title that year. Era. pic.twitter.com/hWK5U78KAs
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 3, 2018
Thirty goals in 10 league games, plus the 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last month, go further toward highlighting Favre’s impact. The former Nice coach has implemented a free-flowing attacking philosophy that perfectly fits his club’s strengths and allows stars like the effervescent Marco Reus and teenage sensation Jadon Sancho to shine. Favre’s summer signings such as Axel Witsel, Achraf Hakimi, and super-sub Paco Alcacer have only strengthened the side.
Thomas Tuchel, Paris Saint-Germain
FRANCK FIFE / AFP / Getty
It’s hard to improve on winning Ligue 1 by 13 points, but former Dortmund boss Tuchel, who replaced Arsenal-bound Unai Emery this summer, has done just that by turning a dominant giant into a multiple record-breaker.
PSG became the first team ever across Europe’s top five leagues to win 12 consecutive domestic games to start a season. They have scored 41 goals and shipped just seven along the way, and are already 11 points clear at the summit despite limited summer transfer activity. Plus, under Tuchel, Kylian Mbappe’s transformation into one of world football’s best players appears complete.
Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea
Sarri-ball is producing results at Stamford Bridge. Whereas Antonio Conte’s Chelsea last season were wildly inconsistent and deeply fallible, Sarri’s Blues are unbeaten through 17 games since August’s Community Shield defeat. The former Napoli mastermind has seamlessly integrated his fast-paced, possession-based style in west London, using teacher’s pet Jorginho as the base in midfield.
11 – Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is unbeaten in his first 11 Premier League games (W8 D3 L0), equalling the longest unbeaten start by a Premier League manager set by Frank Clark in 1994 at Nottingham Forest. Nous. pic.twitter.com/VYIfX1Wi0z
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 4, 2018
Only once have Chelsea really teetered on the brink of losing their unbeaten record, before Ross Barkley’s last-gasp equalizer saved them against Manchester United. Were it not for Pep Guardiola’s irrepressible Manchester City, Sarri’s side would surely be the title favorite.
Adi Hutter, Eintracht Frankfurt
Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts / Getty
Aside from Dortmund and Bayern Munich’s inauspicious start under Niko Kovac, the biggest story in German football right now is in Frankfurt. Adi Hutter’s arrival from Swiss side Young Boys to replace Kovac at Eintracht appears a masterstroke as last season’s DFB-Pokal champions have blossomed into an exciting, vibrant, and genuinely high-caliber side.
Most notably, Hutter is getting the most out of Frankfurt’s prodigious youthful attacking trio of Sebastien Haller, Luka Jovic, and Ante Rebic, who share 23 goals in all competitions this season. Eintracht may not hold a true title shout, with Dortmund looking unassailable and Bayern lurking, but a top-three finish, which would be their best placing in over a quarter of a century, is well within reach. And this is without mentioning the Europa League, in which they have four wins from four in a group containing Lazio and Marseille.
Rubi, Espanyol
Perpetually existing in the shadow of their illustrious rivals, Espanyol are going some way to addressing the unbalance in Barcelona this season. Rubi has lifted the club from mid-table obscurity to second in La Liga after 11 games, just three points off La Blaugrana’s pace. They have collected six wins to just two defeats, those being narrow, one-goal reverses away at high-flying Alaves and Real Madrid. Los Periquitos have won all five of their home games.
21 – Espanyol have collected 21 points in their opening 11 league games this season, their best start in the top flight since 1997/98 under Jose Antonio Camacho (22 points). Fly. pic.twitter.com/k3B7rtL1sp
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 5, 2018
Perhaps their most remarkable feat, however, lies in their defensive record. Though Rubi’s men have scored a relatively modest 15 goals in 11 games, they have conceded just eight, a tremendously miserly mark behind only Atletico’s six and just over half as many as Barca’s 14. Whatever Rubi, who led Huesca to a first-ever promotion to La Liga last term, is doing in Catalonia, it’s working.
Vahid Halilhodzic, Nantes
SEBASTIEN SALOM GOMIS / AFP / Getty
The only manager on this list to have taken charge midseason, Halilhodzic has had the kind of immediate impact of which most new hires can only dream. When the former Japan boss took over in October, Nantes were 19th in Ligue 1; they are now 10th after a run of four consecutive victories in all competitions, across which Les Canaris have scored 14 times and conceded just once.
Halilhodzic’s effect is perhaps reflected most strongly in Emiliano Sala. The Argentinian striker had scored four goals in seven games prior to the Bosnian’s arrival; he has netted seven in five since the appointment. Nantes have a talented squad and, in their former prolific striker Halilhodzic, a beloved head coach. If the 66-year-old can keep the ship steady, Europa League qualification shouldn’t be out of sight.
Pablo Machin, Sevilla
Quality Sport Images / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Machin led Girona to 10th in La Liga last season – the best finish by a newly promoted side in 23 years – before joining Sevilla in the summer. The Spaniard’s philosophy promotes balance across the pitch and playing to key stars’ strengths, and that has unlocked his team’s potential this term. Sevilla currently sit third, just four points off the top, and are benefiting from a renaissance from the likes of midfield general Ever Banega and on-loan striker Andre Silva.
Silva’s transformation, in particular, has been remarkable while Pablo Sarabia’s 12 goals in 18 games are a testament to the freedom he’s being given going forward. Depending on Machin’s priorities, Sevilla’s league position may falter deeper into the season as the club chases a return to Europa League glory, but the 43-year-old currently has the Andalusians on track for their highest finish in a decade.
PITTSBURGH – Carolina Panthers free safety Eric Reid was ejected in the third quarter Thursday night for a hit to the head of a sliding Ben Roethlisberger that left Roethlisberger’s Steelers teammates defending their quarterback.
Reid lowered his head with Roethlisberger already well into his slide and delivered shoulder-to-helmet contact to the six-time Pro Bowl selection at the end of his 17-yard scramble.
Reid was flagged for the third-quarter play and then ejected as officials ruled there was unnecessary roughness due to forcible contact to the head and neck area of a sliding quarterback.
The veteran defensive back said he wasn’t intending to hurt Roethlisberger and apologized to him afterward, but was still at a loss for why he was ejected.
“I didn’t even know you could be ejected in the NFL,” Reid said. “It was a bang-bang play. I was trying to do my job. I understand the NFL is trying to protect the quarterback, but when they run the ball, they’re a running back.
“There’s a guy running the ball, so I’m doing my job. . . . If anything, there should be more [focus] on getting down earlier, so it wouldn’t have to be close. I’m running full speed. I’m just trying to do my job.”
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Safety Eric Reid explains why he went for the hit on Ben Roethlisberger, with no ill intention.
Roethlisberger, for his part, told reporters Reid told him “Sorry, didn’t mean it. No intent there” and added with a smile that he didn’t remember whether Reid had hit his helmet on the hit.
Carolina coach Ron Rivera didn’t believe Reid’s hit warranted an ejection.
“I really don’t,” he said. “I don’t think he hit him hard enough to eject him.”
Roethlisberger’s teammates took exception to the play as soon as it happened, with offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey leading a group of Steelers in confronting Reid while he was still on the field.
Pouncey said Roethlisberger has offered to pay any fines Pittsburgh players get for their part in the shoving match that followed.
“Ben’s the franchise quarterback,” Pouncey said. “He means a lot to this organization, obviously to this football team. I could see if he was pulling his shoulder down trying to hit a guy, but he was giving himself up. That shouldn’t happen, but Eric Reid did apologize, so I give him credit for that.”
Newton looked rattled, and the 52 points allowed to Steelers tied a Panthers team record. Now Newton & Co. play three of the next four on the road.
The Pittsburgh Steelers expect running back Le’Veon Bell to report to the team next week, president Art Rooney II said on Sirius XM radio Thursday.
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For his part, Reid believes there is no consistency with the call, and he noted how Carolina quarterback Cam Newton got hit in the crown of the helmet and no penalty was called.
Newton agreed the calls have been inconsistent, noting he was hit in the helmet last week as well and there was no call.
“It is what it is,” Newton said. “Last week was a perfect example of the same scenario. I’m not here to judge what flag is called, but there is an inconsistency. I do understand that. I’ve been seeing that for a long time.”
The Panthers in late September became the first team to take a chance to Reid, who filed a collusion grievance against the NFL when no team would sign him after last season with San Francisco. Reid claimed the league colluded to keep him off a roster after he spent the previous season kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice.
He has continued to kneel during the anthem at Carolina and has not dropped the grievance.
New Panthers owner David Tepper, who had not addressed the decision to sign Reid until prior to Thursday’s game, was asked if he had to give approval first.
“What did I say when I first came here?” Tepper said. “I said the first thing I want to do is? . . . Win. What was the second thing I said I wanted to do? That was also win. What was the third thing I wanted to do? Enough said.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
