Practice Makes Perfect: Dak Prescott & Cowboys Starters Will Sit Vs. Seahawks ... IF

"We're gonna work our (starters) as much as possible these next two days,'' McCarthy said. "We anticipate we will play the third game as we did the last two."

FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has frequently used a "carrot-on-a-stick'' approach when it comes to motivating his team. And if it is his first-teamers' desire to (wisely) avoid playing in the final preseason game when the Seattle Seahawks come to AT&T Stadium on Friday?

The carrot is dangling.

McCarthy suggested ahead of practice on Tuesday here inside Ford Center at The Star that good work by his starters for the next two days would allow the team to repeat the approach for preseason game No. 3 from what Dallas did previously in matchups at the Broncos and Chargers - that is to say, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons and the first-teamers stayed on the sideline.

"We're gonna work our (starters) as much as possible these next two days,'' McCarthy said. "We anticipate we will play the third game as we did the last two."

Is there something, performance-wise, that could go wrong in these workouts that would result in McCarthy changing his plan? Surely not.

So the Cowboys' first-teamers will get their work at The Star. And then the cut-down roster (Tuesday marked the move from 85 to 80, with one final cutdown to 53 coming by Tuesday, August 30) will handle the game.

A headliner there? McCarthy said backup QB Will Grier will get "a chunk" of reps in his duel with Cooper Rush.

Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, receiver CeeDee Lamb (who returned to limited work on Tuesday after having received stitches on his foot) watched as 
the Cowboys snagged a 32-18 win in last Saturday's preseason game at the Los Angeles Chargers, with much thanks to KaVontae Turpin. Turpin, the the former TCU standout and MVP of the USFL, locked in a roster spot with a pair of return touchdowns.

The Cowboys continue to evaluate who, between Grier and Cooper Rush, will win the backup quarterback spot. The Seahawks will also be examining a competition, but at starting quarterback, between Drew Lock and Geno Smith. The door remains open for Lock, who despite testing positive for COVID last week and missing the second preseason game, can still earn himself the job. Should he start Seattle's season opener, it will be against Denver, the team that drafted him in the second round in 2019.

Also under the spotlight Friday: Dallas' choice at kicker, Brett Maher. He's the last guy standing at a position that's been trouble for a while.

“We just felt Brett was in front,'' McCarthy said. "We want to give him the opportunity to be the kicker, be the guy in preseason (Game) 3.”

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