No Dez Bryant. No Jason Witten. No Dak Prescott. The Cowboys started all back-ups in the final preseason, which isn't a huge surprise. The two players that could be argued as "starters" include Cedric Thornton and Ryan Russell, but they'll likely come off the bench against the New York Giants in two Sundays.
In truth, some of the starters in the preseason finale won't even make the 53-man roster when cuts are made on Saturday.
The starting offense vs. the Houston Texans:
QB: Jameill Showers
RB: Darius Jackson
FB: Keith Smith
WR: Vince Mayle
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TE: Geoff Swaim, Gavin Escobar
OL: Jake Brendel, Boston Stiverson, Joe Looney, Bryan Witzmann, Chaz Green
The starting defense vs. the Houston Texans:
DB: Deji Olatoye, Anthony Brown, Jeff Heath, Kavon Frazier
LB: Derek Akunne, Deon King, Brandon Hepburn
DL: Cedric Thornton, David Irving, Ryan Russell, Rodney Coe
This list of Dallas Cowboys won't exactly scare any NFL teams, but the club doesn't want an injury to a key player. The fourth and final preseason game is designed to give young players an opportunity to play so that the front office can evaluate.