IRVING, Texas – Welcome to the Dez Watch.

That’s what this week will become for the Dallas Cowboys as they return from their bye week to get ready for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

All along this was the early part of the target date for Dez Bryant’s return from a broken right foot suffered in the season opener against the Giants.

Bryant had surgery to repair a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot on Sept. 14. Bryant had a bone graft accompanied by the screw inserted into his foot to help with the healing process. Less than two weeks ago Bryant had stem cells taken from his hip and injected into his foot to help make the bone “sounder,” according to owner general manager Jerry Jones.

Speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas last week, executive vice president Stephen Jones said it is a possibility Bryant will play against New York, but “I don’t know if I would put the word ‘strong,’ in front of it.”

For the first time since the surgery Bryant made an appearance on the practice field during the portion of practice open to the media last Thursday. He did not practice, but he went through resistance training with associate athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation Britt Brown.

As he walked through the locker room after the session, Bryant did not promise he would be able play against the Giants. His only promise was that he was trying to get his foot, “right.”

“He’s making progress,” coach Jason Garrett said.

That’s a vague description, of course. It’s only natural Bryant will make progress as time passes. He has gone from running on the anti-gravity treadmill to doing some running on the practice field. He will have to make more progress during the week as well.

He will have to practice in order to play against the Giants.

“You want to be able to test it on the practice field and see how he responds physically to the work,” Garrett said last week. “There are different kinds of injuries but certainly his would be one where you want to see him on the practice field running around and see how he handles it.”

The Cowboys have to remember Bryant has not played a lot of football since last January. He missed almost all of the offseason conditioning program, awaiting for a long-term contract over the franchise tag. He did not practice in the June minicamp either.

He signed a five-year, $70 million deal on July 15 and was on the field for the first day of training camp. But a hamstring strain early in camp kept him out of all the preseason games and half of the practices.

He caught five passes for 48 yards against the Giants in the season opener but needed intravenous fluids before breaking his foot.

The Cowboys won without Bryant that night but have not won without Tony Romo, who broke his collarbone in the Week 2 win against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys cannot be pressured into playing Bryant before he is ready even with their three-game losing streak. They guaranteed Bryant $45 million with that contract in July with the big picture in mind. That means 2016-18 is more important than a Week 6 game against the Giants even if the small-picture view might say otherwise.

Either way, the Dez Watch is on.