IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys are confident that Dez Bryant is mentally prepared to be their No. 3 receiver despite missing most of training camp and all of the preseason.

The concern is that the first-round pick’s emotions might get the best of him during his NFL debut Sunday night.

“The main thing is that I have to keep him calm,” receivers coach Ray Sherman said. “He’s excited and biting at the bit to have a chance to play. It’s different. It’s not preseason. This is for real. This is live bullets coming at you, so you’ve got to be ready to adapt. Once he gets that first catch or that first hit, it will help him settle down.”

Sherman doesn’t want to temper Bryant’s excitement, but the coach intends to make sure the rookie doesn’t get “too high.”

In other words, Sherman wants Bryant focused on doing his job within the game plan, not getting caught up in the moment.

“It’s going to be loud there and he just needs to make sure he is just relaxed and just treat it as if he were going to practice, understand where to line up, what you have to do and just let everything else take care of itself,” Sherman said. “Don’t try to do too much. It’s when you try to do too much that you make mistakes.”