Apparently, the injury to Phil Costa that will keep him out 2-4 weeks is more of an issue than it initially seemed. That is because veteran center Andre Gurode will not be in the lineup Saturday night against the Vikings, despite it being the dress rehearsal to the regular season.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said the club is holding out Gurode because of a "business decision," likely meaning his future with the team is in jeopardy. The Cowboys could be looking at possible trade opportunities for Gurode and don't want to risk an injury.
"He got pushed," Jerry Jones said, an indication that Costa had already won the preseason competition with Gurode, who missed the first two weeks of camp following a June knee surgery.
Rookie free agent Kevin Kowalski will start against the Vikings with Costa out with a sprained PCL. Jones expressed confidence that Costa would be healthy in time for the regular season opener at the New York Jets on Sept. 11.
The Cowboys will get an extended look at Kowalski, but could end up sliding Bill Nagy to center later in Saturday's preseason game. Nagy will start at left guard, but the Cowboys have some guard options in David Arkin and Montrae Holland.
Gurode, a five-time Pro Bowler who was ranked 57th in the NFL Network's Top 100 list voted on by the players, is the longest-tenured Cowboy, a second-round pick in the 2002 draft.
