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Eagles know Cowboys will adjust without Bryant

The Eagles' preparations for the Dallas Cowboys come with more guesswork than usual this week. Instead of trying to prepare to cover Dez Bryant, the coaching staff must figure out how the Cowboys will function without the star wide receiver. Bryant is out with a broken foot.

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly.Read more(Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

The Eagles' preparations for the Dallas Cowboys come with more guesswork than usual this week. Instead of trying to prepare to cover Dez Bryant, the coaching staff must figure out how the Cowboys will function without the star wide receiver. Bryant is out with a broken foot.

But if Kelly had to decide between the known of Bryant and the unknown of the Cowboys without Bryant in the home opener Sunday, it would not be much of a choice.

"I'd say the latter," Kelly said. "He's really good. Put a little bit more on the coaches and a little bit less on covering Dez, I think we'd opt for that. We can figure out what they send in the game because we get a chance to match it. We just know he won't be playing."

The challenge is a different one for the Eagles. Instead of wondering whether cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Nolan Carroll can keep pace with Bryant after struggling against Atlanta Falcons star receiver Julio Jones on Monday, the Eagles now must figure out how the Cowboys will adjust.

The Cowboys' top receiver on the outside without Bryant in the lineup is Terrance Williams, who had five catches for 60 yards in their win over the New York Giants. But Dallas could give tight end Jason Witten and slot receiver Cole Beasley even bigger roles in the offense. It also could use second tight end Gavin Escobar and pass-catching running back Lane Dunbar as options.

"You can't sit there and say, 'Well, Dez is out, they're going to do this,' because we don't dictate what they do, we have to react to what they do," Kelly said. "That's the one thing with their depth that can make it difficult for you. . . . They can move Beasley outside or they can play with Terrance Williams still and just play with two tight ends and that becomes a different game for us in that aspect."

The Eagles can look at what the Cowboys did without Bryant during the second half of Sunday's game, although they were adjusting on the fly. The last time Bryant missed a game was 2011, when he was sidelined for a 27-24 Cowboys victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The top receiver for the Cowboys that afternoon was Miles Austin, who happens to be an Eagles receiver now.

But the constant for Dallas is quarterback Tony Romo, whom Kelly praised for being skilled and smart. Romo led Dallas to a fourth-quarter comeback in the opener.

Bryant missed part of the offseason in a contract stalemate, so Romo has had time with this group of receivers. But Romo said a quarterback doesn't get comfortable without Bryant, whom he called "the heartbeat" of the Cowboys.

"You're not going to be able to plug someone in and say, 'There's another Dez Bryant,' " Romo said on a conference call with Philadelphia reporters.

When Bryant last played at Lincoln Financial Field, he caught seven passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns in a win that helped the Cowboys capture the NFC East.

Carroll, who was the Eagles' dime cornerback at the time, remembers what Bryant did to the secondary and actually wanted Bryant to play on Sunday. He still has a bitter taste from last season.

"We're disappointed he's not playing in this game," Carroll said. "That's what we were kind of hoping for. But it is what it is. We just game-plan differently now that he's not playing."

Maxwell, who could have seen Bryant often on Sunday, said the Eagles "will see him eventually." He credited the rest of the Cowboys' offensive weapons, including Beasley. But because Beasley mostly plays the slot, Maxwell doesn't expect to see much of him.

If this injury occurred last season, the Cowboys could have given the Eagles a steady dose of DeMarco Murray. Murray is with the Eagles now, and the Cowboys' running game is a committee that includes Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, and Dunbar.

"They'll find ways to get different guys the ball," Murray said. "[Bryant is] a great player, and I don't think they'll miss a beat. They've got a pretty good quarterback over there, a couple tight ends, and a couple receivers. I think they'll be fine."

The message from the Eagles is that Bryant's absence does not make the Cowboys easy to defend.

"Dez, what a dynamic football player he is, but it's not like there's a huge discrepancy and they don't have other people in there," Kelly said. "The key to that offense is the quarterback and he's playing at a really high level right now."