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The Cowboys' winless preseason came to an end with a 14-6 loss Thursday night to the Houston Texans.
Attention now turns fully toward preparing for the season opener Sept. 9 at Carolina. Work will include a flurry of adjustments to the roster before and after the 53-man roster is determined by 3 p.m. Saturday.
With the starters watching from the sidelines Thursday at NRG Stadium, the players who did participate tried to make their cases for why they should make the team. The final exhibition was hard to watch, as is typical.
Oh, but don't fret over the 0-4 preseason record too, too much. The last time Dallas lost all of its preseason games was in 2014, when the team went 12-4 and won the NFC East.
Even more relevant -- running back Ezekiel Elliott didn't play a single snap this preseason.
"This is the most comfortable I have felt in this offense," Elliott said at halftime. "I believe I have had a great camp and enough reps that I'm ready to play. I'm excited to get back out there on the field.
"I'm ready. Camp is long, the preseason is long, but there is nothing like that first game when the lights come on for real."
Here are five takeaways from the final preseason clunker:
1. Cooper Rush doesn't ease backup QB concerns.
The Cowboys have shown little interest in shopping the veteran quarterback market - they want to go young, team owner Jerry Jones says -- but they haven't completely closed the door. (Veterans, for what it's worth, who could become available include Mike Glennon, Josh Dobbs and Robert Griffin III.)
Cooper Rush didn't do anything Thursday night to lock up his second season as the backup. After throwing two picks in preseason game No. 3 against Arizona, Rush threw another interception on the second offensive series for Dallas. He would've lost a fumble later when the pocket collapsed and he was sacked, but a holding call saved him. To be fair, he played with a makeshift offensive line and an assorted cast of teammates. Yet, he was able to thrive in those preseason situations a year ago.
He finished the night 14 of 25 for 83 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He had a passer rating of 29.3. The final pick came on a Hail Mary on the last play of the first half, which ended his night. He finishes the preseason 46 of 74 for 358 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.
Will the Cowboys keep three quarterbacks? Mike White, the fifth-round draft pick, played all of the second half, but is considered more of a developmental project than a player ready to be the No. 2. He finished 12 of 20 for 88 yards.
2. Jackson and Scarbrough could be battling for third running back spot
Darius Jackson earned the start Thursday over Bo Scarbrough. The two are battling for what is likely the third and final running back spot on the roster behind Elliott and Rod Smith.
The Cowboys drafted Jackson in the 2016 sixth round, but lost him late that season to Cleveland when they had to release him to make a roster spot for Darren McFadden. Dallas picked up Scarbrough, the big back from Alabama, in the seventh round this year.
Neither were particularly impressive against the Texans, with both dropping passes. Jackson had five carries for one yard and Scarbrough had four carries for 17 yards.
"I think they are battling," coach Jason Garrett said of the team's overall effort at halftime. "We aren't playing that great on offense. We aren't moving the ball with any consistency. We haven't been able to control the line of scrimmage and get the run game going. Unfortunately we aren't having the success executing."
3. Lance Lenoir is still trying to get a spot on the final roster
Quarterback Dak Prescott joined the CBS 11 broadcast during the second half and continued to tout his confidence in his new-look group of receivers and their focus on technique and well-timed routes.
But it still remains to be seen if the receiver-by-committee deal will work in the post-Jason Witten, post-Dez Bryant Era.
Prescott's receiving corps will consist of Cole Beasley, Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams, Tavon Austin and Michael Gallup. Deonte Thompson is also likely to make it. Lenoir, who had a strong training camp, is fighting for a spot, and played from start to finish Thursday.
He had hurt his chances with two muffed punts in the third preseason game Sunday night.
With the whole offense malfunctioning, Lenoir didn't get a ton of chances to wow on Thursday, but he stayed busy, finishing with eight catches for 39 yards. He also had a nice punt return for 22 yards late in the third quarter.
Gallup, the third-round draft pick who has a chance to be a starter at Carolina, played the entire first half and finished with four catches for 29 yards.
4. The Rico Gathers Experiment could be coming to an end
It remains to be seen if tight end Rico Gathers will wear the Cowboys uniform again.
If Dallas decides to keep him, it means it's willing to keep four tight ends on the roster. If he's cut, another team could take a chance on the Cowboys' final pick of the 2016 draft.
The Cowboys wanted Gathers to give them reasons to keep him as he enters his third season trying to transition from college basketball forward. But while he's flashed at times with impressive catches, he has been slow to adjust to all the nuances of the position.
He had two catches for 12 yards Thursday.
5. Other roster decisions could center on defensive end and safety
The Cowboys have the luxury of depth on the defensive line - evidenced by a nice game by fourth-round draft pick Dorance Armstrong at Houston - but are thin at safety. Executive vice president Stephen Jones has already said the team is on the lookout for safety help. The players in those personnel groups were well aware of those situations during Thursday's game.
The defensive linemen trying to secure jobs include free agency addition Kony Ealy and Jihad Ward, who Dallas traded for during the draft. Charles Tapper, who Dallas drafted in the fourth round ahead of quarterback Dak Prescott in 2016, could also be in danger of missing the cut. Ward registered a sack against the Texans.
At safety, Jeron Johnson could sneak on to the roster for depth after tallying nine tackles Thursday, though the Cowboys will certainly look outside of the building for help.
