Will Cowboys DT David Irving play against Texans after just one practice?

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving was absent from practice Friday, marking the second straight day he has missed practice to tend to a personal family matter.

Defensive end Randy Gregory was back at practice Friday after being in Chicago on Thursday where he visited the NFL’s medical director in charge of the league’s substance abuse program.

Owner Jerry Jones said on his radio show Friday on 105.3 the Fan that he expects both players to play in Sunday’s game against the Texans.

The latter is not a surprise for Gregory, who has played in three of the first four games and was with the Cowboys throughout training camp.

The visit to Chicago was a routine visit for Gregory under the terms of his aftercare program. He is back with the Cowboys in 2018 after serving an indefinite suspension for repeated violations of the NFL’s abuse program.

He made a similar trip in August before the Cowboys played a preseason game in Houston.

For Irving, the Cowboys are taking a huge leap of faith playing him against the Texans after having just one practice with the team since last November.

He missed the final four games of the 2016 season with a concussion. He then missed the offseason program because of personal family issues. He was then suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse program.

He was allowed to attend training camp but was given a leave of absence to take of things in his personal life as well as attend substance abuse counseling.

The suspension officially ended on Tuesday and he practiced on Wednesday before missing the last two days dealing with a family issue.

The Cowboys got a one-week exemption and have until Saturday at 3 p.m. to activate him for Sunday’s game. The will also have to make a roster move to free up a spot.

But as long as he shows up on Saturday for the walk-through practice and the flight to Houston, the team is seemingly comfortable with him playing 10 to 20 snaps against the Texans Sunday after just one practice since last November.

Per coach Jason Garrett, it was a really good practice on Wednesday as he was able to do more than expected.

Irving has a history of playing well after time away, he missed the first four games of last season because he violated the league’s policy on using a banned supplement and had seven sacks in eight games after his return.