Earlier this week, Jerry Jones made it clear that a few of his big name players will not take another snap for the remainder of pre-season. With no timetable for Travis Frederick’s return and a few of the offensive lineman banged up, they don’t want any of their big names – Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott – risking a potential injury. With that being said, there is plenty of intrigue heading into Sunday nights showdown, when the Dallas Cowboys will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football on NBC.

Rico Gathers

This is a guy I continue to root for. If only the high expectations could turn into consistent play on the field. He’s known for making some flashy athletic plays, but one of the main knocks on him is his inconsistency in the blocking game. He hasn’t had a whole lot of time to show what he’s got this pre-season, but that may be coming to an end. It’s been speculated that he may start this Sunday, giving him a prime opportunity to put his skills on display. If you look at who would make the 53 man roster, I’m not sure Rico makes it as it stands right now. It would depend on if the Cowboys want to go with three or four tight ends. With the injuries piling up on the offensive line and the already shaky secondary, Rico may need to really turn some heads to make the roster this time around.

Randy Gregory

I can not begin to tell you how excited I am to see this man back on the field. He’s an incredible story and one that I hope has a happy ending. So far, so good. Gregory came back from his lengthy suspension and seems to be picking up right where he left off. He kept in shape while absent from the organization, and is already earning first team defensive reps and impressing both on the field during training camp and in his first pre-season game last Saturday.

I think that's the last we'll see of Randy Gregory (@RandyGregory_4) tonight. So, here's each of his snaps.

Won't show in the stat sheet, but I liked how he looked in the pass rush. #Cowboys #CowboysNation #CINvsDAL pic.twitter.com/XSOyheGOEi

— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) August 19, 2018

He figures to see more playing time this Sunday as well, and if all things continue to go the direction they are, he could be an opening day starter when the ‘Boys head to Carolina. Tyron Crawford was recently moved back to tackle, so there is a very real chance that Gregory would start opposite of DeMarcus Lawrence.

*Wipes Drool*

Cowboys Secondary

Okay, okay. I know I said players, but I’m lumping the entire secondary into this last one. The Arizona Cardinals already have one of the best route runners in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald. Christian Kick, Texas A&M rookie wideout, is quickly rising up the depth chart and could very well be a real threat at the WR2 slot. This could be a real test for the Cowboys secondary. The Cowboys figure to line Byron Jones up against Fitzgerald and Chidobie Awuzie against Kirk to start.  Oh, and in case you forgot…

Chidobe Awuzie with one of the better Cowboys INTs we’ve seen in a while (video: @NFL) pic.twitter.com/cOS6QmWXGp

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 19, 2018

Anthony Brown, who has a rough training camp and pre-season will definitely be tested as well. The Cowboys will also be looking to see how their safeties fare against the Cardinals passing attack as well.