Yes, it’s unlikely that Cowboys tight end Jason Witten will play on Wednesday, when Dallas travels to New Jersey for a regular-season opener against the Giants. But there’s still a chance he’ll play.
And not the overused Dumb and Dumber “so you’re telling me there’s a chance?” chance. If doctors conclude when re-examining Witten early this week that he’s able to play, then he’ll play, a source with knowledge of the situation told PFT late Friday afternoon.
Witten, who practiced Saturday, wants to play -- risk or no risk. But the risk is sufficiently significant to keep the doctors from giving Witten medical clearance, so far.
As Adam Schefter of ESPN explained it on Friday, this isn’t like a shoulder or an ankle injury, where the player can gut it out and suck it up. This is an internal medical condition. Witten’s spleen was damaged. It almost had to be removed.
It would be a surprise if Witten plays, given the league’s unprecedented sensitivity to health and safety. And if Witten ultimately talks his way onto the field, it’ll surely happen only after he signs a stack of documents exonerating anyone involved of any responsibility in the event his spleen pops like a touch-me-not.