Follow along with the very latest Cowboys updates as staff writers David Helman, Rob Phillips, Nick Eatman and Bryan Broaddus provide in-depth news and analysis.
Sean Lee Injury Not Considered Serious
(Sept. 17, 12:40 a.m.) – Sean Lee's injury issue doesn't sound terribly serious, to hear it from the linebacker himself.
Lee spoke with reporters following Sunday night's win against New York, and he said the problem that forced him out of the fourth quarter isn't a big deal.
"I think I had some cramping in there. I don't think it's anything serious, don't think it'll keep me out next week," he said.
That's welcome news for a guy who has battled his share of injuries over the years. Lee said the cramping was not related to the hamstring injury that forced him out of several games last year.
Had the Cowboys not been holding a comfortable lead for most of the fourth quarter, Lee suggested he may even have finished the game.
"I see it as more of a cramp and at the end of the game it was more precautionary," he said. "If I needed to go in, I probably could've gone in."
Something similar can be said for DeMarcus Lawrence, who also left the game in the fourth quarter. Lawrence said he needed an IV for dehydration and should be fine moving forward.
Rico Gathers Makes Long-Awaited Debut
Sunday night was a major milestone in Rico Gathers' long transition back to football.
The former Baylor basketball star finally got his first regular-season action since getting drafted by the Cowboys in the sixth round back in 2016.
Gathers, who hadn't played football since eighth grade when he entered the draft, admitted his debut was a bit emotional.
"It's been three years," he said. "This is my third year, and finally getting on that field and being part of the action was really cool."
Gathers wasn't sure of his exact play count, but he did have a couple of downfield targets from Dak Prescott that didn't connect, including one in the red zone that appeared to just be overthrown.
"Just being able to see what I call 'the money in the bank,' it's definitely there,' Gathers said. "We want to continue to get more opportunities like that because we know that can help our team."
Gathers was inactive in Week One while fourth-round draft pick Dalton Schultz was active and played two snaps. Sunday, Schultz was inactive.
-Rob Phillips
Austin & Maher With 2018 Firsts
The first quarter saw a couple of exciting firsts for the Cowboys, especially after last week's offensive struggle.
But it didn't take long to find some much-needed firepower in the passing game. Dak Prescott hooked up with Tavon Austin on the third play of the game, striking on a 64-yard touchdown pass to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. It was obviously Prescott's first TD pass of the season, but the first for Austin as a Cowboy.
Actually, it was the longest down-field score for Prescott, who had some screen passes to Ezekiel Elliott that went for touchdowns and a short slant to Rod Smith that went for 80 yards last year.
But in terms of down the field bombs, this was Prescott's longest touchdown of his young career.
The extra point, followed by a X-yard field goal later in the quarter, were the first career points for kicker Brett Maher, who did not have an extra point in last week's loss and missed his only field goal attempt.
Cowboys Honor Brad Sham in Pre-Game
Hours before the opening kickoff Sunday in Arlington, the Cowboys made a special announcement up in the press box, honoring long-time play-by-play announcer Brad Sham.
In a press conference that included many of his colleagues and family members, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced the team is renaming the home radio booth the Brad Sham Home Radio Booth.
The announcement coincides that Sham has begun his 40th season calling Cowboys games, dating back to the 1976 season.
"Brad Sham, you've touched more Cowboys fans with your personality and your way of telling our story than anyone that's, in my mind, on this Earth. …" Jones said to Sham in his introduction. "Brad's success, and just his endurance, are a direct reflection of his preparation, his attention to detail, his descriptive storytelling ability, and his love for the game of football and the men who play it."
Jones pointed out that Sham has announced 825 Cowboys games and over 31,180 plays heading into Sunday's game.
"God gave me a passion that he keeps increasing," an emotional Sham told the audience. "He then put me on a path to be able to use that passion to make a living. I always have felt … that we owe every listener, however many there are, the very best we can give them – not just on the day of the game, but in preparation.
"When people turn on the radio, they're not turning it on to hear me. If I'm prepared and fortunate, I may enhance their enjoyment of the game. They're turning it on to hear the Dallas Cowboys. And I do not, never have and never will take that little piece of information for granted.
-Nick Eatman
Gregory Inactive, Gathers To Make Debut
(Sept. 16; 6:05 p.m.) –One of the Cowboys' most intriguing young talents will be unavailable for Week 2, but another will make his regular season debut against the Giants.
The Cowboys released their weekly list of inactive players on Sunday night, confirming the suspicion that Randy Gregory will be inactive for their division game against New York. Gregory injured his knee and suffered a concussion last week against Carolina and was unavailable to practice much this week.
At the same time, the team announced that rookie tight end Dalton Schultz has been ruled inactive – which means that Rico Gathers will suit up for the first time ever during the regular season.
The full list of inactives is third-string quarterback Mike White, safety Xavier Woods, defensive tackle Datone Jones, center Travis Frederick, guard Xavier Su'a-Filo, Schultz and Gregory.
This will be an intriguing debut for Gathers, to say the least. Intriguing has surrounded the athletic young tight end from the time he was drafted, but it has yet to manifest itself in a regular season appearance. Gathers was on the practice squad for the entirety of his rookie season, and a concussion sidelined him for all of 2017 after a promising training camp.
-David Helman
