FRISCO, Texas -- Dez Bryant has replaced Tony Romo as the most indispensable player on the Dallas Cowboys roster.
No one can replicate his athleticism, production or playmaking ability.
The 27-year-old receiver, who suffered a hairline fracture in his tibia during the Cowboys' 31-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 3, is expected to miss up to three weeks.
This is a huge problem, starting with Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, because this team is built around its offense, and Bryant is the only player who makes everybody better.
Alfred Morris could give the Cowboys a solid running game, if needed. And fellow backup Mark Sanchez would probably do a serviceable job if quarterback Dak Prescott couldn't play.
But Bryant impacts every facet of the Cowboys' offense.
“You can see the early production with [Cole] Beasley. It’s harder for Beasley if Dez isn’t out there,” playcaller Scott Linehan said. “[Jason] Witten has had early production. Those are all things that work hand in hand with the running game. [Bryant] opens up things for that. He’s a huge factor for our offense.”
Bryant is the only receiver who regularly commands double coverage, which means Witten and Beasley don't get it. Bryant’s ability to get deep opens up the middle of the field because there's often a safety paying attention to him, allowing Witten and Beasley to operate freely there.
Without Bryant, one of them could find himself bracketed.
Bryant can make plays against the game’s best cornerbacks; Terrance Williams and Brice Butler can't. It's not a criticism, just a fact. They’re not No. 1 receivers, and there’s no shame in that.
When healthy, Bryant is among the game's best receivers. Lately, that’s been an issue.
Playing without Bryant was an unusual occurrence for the Cowboys until 2015, when he missed five games with a broken foot early in the season and two for an ankle at season's end. He missed four games as a rookie with broken leg but missed only one game between 2011 and 2014
In the three seasons prior to 2015, he averaged more than 91 catches, 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Bryant scored his 60th career touchdown Sunday, making him the second-fastest player to do that in franchise history. Only Hall of Fame receiver Bob Hayes did it faster.
Beasley, Williams and Butler have a combined 346 catches for 4,641 yards and 29 touchdowns in a combined 13 seasons. Bryant has caught 77 more passes for 1,334 more yards and 31 more touchdowns in half the seasons.
So Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and Linehan and their players can talk about a “next man up” philosophy all day long, and that won’t make Williams or Butler better players. For a game or two, lesser players can step into starting roles and be productive.
“Since he’s been a young man, he’s gotten a lot of attention from opposing defenses,” Garrett said of Bryant. “When you have a player like that, it creates opportunities for other players. Having said that, we believe in the next-man-up philosophy.
“We had a lot of guys playing in the game the other day who were not starters at the beginning of the season. We’re going to try to run the football and throw the football, and we’re going to have confidence in whoever is out there.”
If Bryant's presence doesn't command a double-team, the defense can use an eighth defender to play run defense. If opponents don't believe Prescott can punish them by making plays downfield, they won't have any hesitation committing to stopping the run.
Prescott has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 767 yards and a touchdown. He's had seven completions of more than 20 yards, but only one of those traveled more than 20 yards in the air: a 29-yard completion against the Bears, but that was an improvised route.
If Prescott doesn't throw deep, the linebackers and safeties will creep closer to the line of scrimmage, making it more difficult for Ezekiel Elliott to run. The rookie had 30 carries for 140 yards against Chicago, but the yards will be considerably more difficult without Bryant on the field as a threat.
"It's hard to say how the offense will change without Dez because we've been doing some different things with Dak," Beasley said. "It's too early to say what will happen."
It's not to early to say the offense will have problems moving the ball until its most indispensable player returns to the lineup.