Miles Austin, Adrian Peterson to be Held Out until Week 1

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t going to take any chances when it comes to the health of No. 1 wide receiver Miles Austin and will be holding him out of the preseason and won’t allow him to suit up and hit the gridiron until week one. The same can be said about Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson who has also been shut down for the remainder of the preseason.

Both players are currently recovering from injuries, with Austin’s coming while the Cowboys were in camp. Peterson is still recovering from his knee injury he suffered in week 16 of last season. Peterson vowed to be ready for the Vikings first game of the season against the Jaguars, but he hasn’t absorbed any real contact yet, with head coach Leslie Fraizer saying anyone who touches Peterson will be cut.

As for Miles Austin, owner Jerry Jones says it’s not worth putting Austin in a situation where he could get hurt over something as meaningless as the preseason.

“The risks of him getting out there and really competing at this time would I think be overruled (by) the game we have for him being completely healthy in New York.” Jones said. “Now, I’m sure he’d be the first to tell you he could go if we were playing New York tonight, and we will have him as ready as he can be for that. So that’s the plan.”

You can’t blame Jones for being weary either. He’s already got to deal with an serious injury to tight end Jason Witten and his other receiving target Dez Bryant is suffering through aches and pains at the moment to. An MRI on Bryant’s knee revealed he has patellar tendinitis, but Jones says that the wideout should be fine.

The same can’t be said for Witten, who is going to be re-evaluated this week after lacerating his spleen in Dallas’ preseason opener.

But as one team is getting banged up right now, the Vikings are hoping their franchise guy can be ready in the near future, even if it goes against the wishes of the man himself. Peterson has said that he wants to test his surgically repaired knee out in a live action situation, but that won’t happen — at least in a preseason game.

This opens the Vikings up to criticism from all angles for who they’re handling Peterson’s return. The first live action contact he will feel on his knee will come in week one. Minnesota is easing Peterson back into contact, but if they’re too cautious the whole plan could have an adverse effect.

Only time will tell, but it’s clear that these two teams understand that their playoff hopes ride on the health of their stars and the length of their recovery.