Cowboys’ Dez Bryant ‘ready to get back into beast mode’

Dez Bryant played in only nine games last season. He battled foot and ankle injuries most of the season, and underwent foot surgery in January.

It wasn’t the type of season Bryant or the Dallas Cowboys envisioned, as their star receiver finished with only 31 catches for 401 yards with three touchdowns in the first year of a five-year, $70 million contract.

But Bryant is ready to return to his Pro Bowl form in 2016.

“I’m excited. I’m ready to go,” Bryant said Monday following the Cowboys’ first practice in pads.

“I’m ready to get back in beast mode.”

That would be the 2012-14 version of Bryant, when he had three consecutive seasons with at least 1,200 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Cowboys are confident Bryant will return to that production level, and Bryant is determined to do just that. He said the injury-plagued season has given him even more appreciation for the game.

“You don’t ever want to go through that,” Bryant said. “If that’s not motivation, I don’t know what it is. I think just having that in the back of your head, not knowing you’re going to be there, it can only make you better. The route that I and we have been taking has been tremendous so far.

“What I learned is you’ve got to stay strong and just keep a positive mind. Break through. I think that 2015 year was pure adversity. I think for myself, you just got to get better, you’ve got to look at that and use it as motivation and want it more than the next.”

Bryant said he and quarterback Tony Romo are knocking off a little rust early in training camp, but the chemistry between them is as good as ever.

When the Cowboys open the season Sept. 11 against the New York Giants, Bryant vowed the two will be ready to go.

“We don’t need much time,” Bryant said. “There’s nothing wrong with working on techniques and get in that mode that we know we can be in.”

Crawford injures back

Woes continue to mount for the Cowboys along the defensive line.

A unit that is already without starting ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory because of substance abuse suspensions is now dealing with an injury to starting defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford.

Crawford, who underwent shoulder surgery on the off-season, has missed practiced the past two days because of a sore back.

He underwent an MRI exam on his back Sunday, and the Cowboys are hoping for the best, listing him as day-to-day.

Coach Jason Garrett said Crawford did not complain of back problems during the off-season and this is something that has developed since the start of training camp three days ago.

No decal in regular season

The Cowboys are hoping to wear the “Arm in Arm” decals they unveiled Saturday during preseason games.

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the NFL will not allow them to wear the decals during the regular season, but the team has asked for permission to do it in the preseason. The decal will be on the helmets throughout training camp.

“We just got approval for camp and the debate was whether we should do it for preseason or not,” Jones said. “They’re trying to decide on that.”

The league must approve any decal of this nature, and Jones said: “We respect the league’s policies.”

The Cowboys unveiled the decal during a ceremony with Dallas city and police officials, as well as family members from four of the five slain police officers during a downtown shooting ambush last month.

Cowboys players and coaches did the event as a sign of “unity.”

This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Cowboys’ Dez Bryant ‘ready to get back into beast mode’."