IRVING, Texas – Dez Bryant is once again working through a back issue, but it didn't keep him out of Thursday morning's practice.
Bryant was present for the second practice of the week, and he appeared to move well in the early portion of the day's work. It remains to be seen how involved he will be in the full day's worth of work, but Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he doesn't expect the injury to have a significant effect.
"His back was bothering him (Wednesday), we didn't think he could practice so we didn't practice him," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett at his Thursday morning press conference. "It's a health issue that we don't think is a longterm deal at all. Hopefully he'll practice today and be ready to go on Sunday."
Back problems affected Bryant during the 2012 season finale against Washington, and he has dealt with similar problems at times through the first nine weeks of this season.
"It's bothered him a little bit off and on – I don't know if it's the exact same thing, but we don't think it's a significant deal."
DeMarcus Ware also continued his path toward playing time on Thursday, as he was present for practice for the second straight day. Ware was limited during Wednesday's practice at AT&T Stadium
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"It's hard to tell, really, but he moved around well and seemed like he had good enthusiasm about him and seemed like he had his movement back," Garrett said.
Nick Hayden, who was limited in practice Wednesday, moved inside to the team weight room and missed Thursday's session. Hayden suffered a rib injury last week and Garrett listed him as day-to-day. The same goes for fellow defensive tackle Jason Hatcher, who missed his second straight day while dealing with the after effects of a stinger.
"He's been dealing with that stinger for a lot of the year, and it flared up again the other day during the ball game," Garrett said. "One of the things we think helps that is limiting the contact during the week."
Other Cowboys absentees included J.J. Wilcox, Morris Claiborne and Miles Austin.
