Tuesday’s roundup: Cowboys’ Bryant suffers concussion
Frisco, Texas — Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant will miss the next exhibition game after sustaining a concussion in practice.
Coach Jason Garrett said Tuesday Bryant was hurt a day earlier when the receiver’s head hit the shoulder pads of safety Barry Church.
Garrett says Bryant was held out of the rest of that practice and will not play Thursday night at Seattle.
On his Twitter account Tuesday, Bryant promised Cowboys fans he is OK.
Garrett said Bryant seemed “much better” Tuesday, and the coach doesn’t think there is a long-term concern.
“It was a nondescript hit,” Garrett said. “He kind of turned and Barry Church was actually slowing down as he came over to him. But somehow the angle of Barry’s shoulder pads and the angle of Dez’s head, they hit. Dez took a couple of steps and he kind of felt something.”
Bryant, a 2014 All-Pro, was limited to career lows in catches, yards and touchdowns last season after breaking his right foot in the opener.
Brady ready to play
Tom Brady is ready to play after cutting his right thumb with a pair of scissors in a “silly accident” before the Patriots’ exhibition game against the Bears last week.
Brady said he missed the first two practices this week for personal reasons, but that he’s available and ready to play when New England visits Carolina on Friday.
He has yet to appear in an exhibition game. He has two more games before the start of an NFL-issued four-game regular-season suspension for his role in “Deflategate.”
Extra points
Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin is being evaluated for a possible concussion sustained during practice.
Coach Rex Ryan would only say the player was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol, which makes it unlikely Goodwin will play in Buffalo’s game at Washington on Friday.
... Running back Terron Ward and safety Kemal Ishmael will miss their second straight game when the Falcons play the Dolphins on Thursday night. Ward (ankle) and Ishmael (shoulder) ran on the side in Tuesday’s practice.
... Steelers linebacker James Harrison will meet with NFL investigators at 11 a.m. Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported.
... Titans tight end Craig Stevens is retiring at the age of 31.
... Linebacker Vince Williams signed a three-year contract with the Steelers that will keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2018 season
... Raiders tight end Colton Underwood said he never anticipated the kind of attention he would get when he sent gymnast Aly Raisman a video asking the Olympic gold medalist out on a date.
“I was just asking a girl on a date and it sort of turned into something much bigger,” Underwood said Tuesday. “She did a great job.”
Underwood is a second-year tight end trying to land a spot on the Raiders’ 53-man roster. That will be a tougher challenge than getting Raisman to agree to go out on a double date with Underwood and teammate Andrew East and East’s wife, former Olympian Shawn Johnson.
Raisman won a gold medal and two silvers at the Rio de Janeiro Games.