1. Garrett Gilbert, Quarterback
As mentioned above, the Dallas Cowboys and Steelers both are unlikely to play many of their star players — and if they do suit up, they will likely only get a couple of snaps. As for Dak Prescott, the star quarterback in Big D, he won’t be playing at all it seems.
Not only is he the face of their franchise and not worth getting hurt in a game as meaningless as this one, but he also has dealt with a shoulder injury early in camp. Prescott is already coming back from a broken ankle, so the team is sure to take things slow and the shoulder injury is just another reason to do so.
With No. 4 sidelined, a great opportunity becomes available for Garrett Gilbert who is currently the No. 2 quarterback. Gilbert, who joined Dallas last season, has started one game in his career — which came in Week 9 against the Steelers.
Dallas was able to hang with Pittsburgh in that game, losing 24-19 in the end. Even with the loss, they gained some confidence since they were playing an undefeated team. Gilbert also gained a lot of attention for playing with confidence despite only joining the team a couple of weeks prior to that contest.
Gilbert was 21-of-38 passing for 243 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He did enough to enter camp as the primary backup but Dallas did look at other options, which means Gilbert needs to prove himself to keep them from looking elsewhere again.
Thursday looks to be the perfect game for him to start his campaign to keep the job going forward.