Randy Gregory absence, trade for guard, Cooper Rush struggles overshadow loss to Texans

The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Houston Texans 14-6 on Thursday in the preseason finale at NRG Stadium.

The Cowboys did not play any offensive or defensive starters to keep them out of harm’s way before the Sept. 9 season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

The Cowboys (0-4) finished winless in the preseason for the fifth time in team history.

The last time the Cowboys finished 0-4 in the preseason was 2014 when they finished 12-4.

The bigger news from Thursday night was defensive end Randy Gregory’s absence to visit the NFL medical director in Chicago, the acquisition of offensive guard Parker Ehinger from the Kansas City Chiefs and the continued struggles of backup quarterback Cooper Rush.

Here are five moments from the Texans game:

1. The Cowboys say they have no huge worries about Gregory’s visit with the NFL medical director. He is returning to the football for the first time since 2016 due to an NFL suspension for repeated violations of the substance abuse policy. He remains in Stage 3 of the program and subject to further assessment by the medical director. He was not going to play against the Texans. So Thursday was a good opportunity for him to visit the doctor.

Coach Jason Garrett said on the pregame show on CBS 11 that Gregory’s visit was a normal part of the process. He has had a strong preseason and the Cowboys expect him to be available for the season opener.

2. The Cowboys held cornerback Charvarius Ward out of the game as he will be traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for guard Parker Ehinger.

The teams will finalize the trade Friday.

Ehinger is a former 2016 fourth-round pick. He has five career starts.

Interestingly, Ehinger was the 7th pick of the fourth round in 2016, 20 picks ahead of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who was picked 37th.

The Cowboys have made no secret of their desire for offensive line help. Guard Marcus Martin suffered a season-ending toe injury in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

Center Travis Frederick is out indefinitely with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Backup center/guard Joe Looney has moved to starting lineup to replace him.

The Cowboys have no proven depth behind him and are likely are still on the hunt for center help.

Ward is an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State who was in a battle for the fifth cornerback spot with Marquez White and Duke Thomas.

3. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush had another rough outing. He completed for 14 of 25 passes for 83 yards with two interceptions. He concluded the preseason with one touchdown pass and four interceptions. All four interceptions came in the past two games.

It continues to raise questions about Rush’s viability as the primary backup to starter Dak Prescott. He has shown none of the flash, potential or consistency he displayed as a rookie in 2017 when he led the NFL in passing in the preseason and supplanted Kellen Moore as the primary backup. The Cowboys have said they are comfortable with Rush because of his overall body of work the past two years. But his struggles throughout the preseason have to give them pause.

4. The Cowboys will continue to scour the roster of other teams and the waiver wire after final cuts on Saturday for help at safety. Tyree Robinson did nothing to help his cause of staying on the roster behind Xavier Woods, Kavon Frazier and Jeff Heath. Robinson sparked a Texans score with an unnecessary roughness penalty for a hit on a defenseless receiver. He followed by giving up a 16-yard pass to tight end Jordan Akins.

Jeron Johnson may get the nod over Robinson because he has more experience in the defense but he has not played in an NFL game since 2016. The Cowboys will focus on adding a player from another roster and maybe re-engaging the Seattle Seahawks in trade talks for holdout Pro Bowler Earl Thomas.

5. It was a curious decision by the Cowboys to play rookie receiver Michael Gallup against the Texans. The third-round pick has had a strong preseason and will be counted on to make an impact in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers. He caught four passes for 29 yards in the game. But it didn’t make much sense to risk him to injury. He already has good chemistry with Dak Prescott and could open the season as a starter.

This story was originally published August 30, 2018 at 10:15 PM.