The Dallas Cowboys will play a football game this Thursday night. Hard as it might be to believe, NFL football is back - well, NFL preseason football is back. Still, that is a huge milestone on the road to the 2017 NFL season.

The Cowboys will take on the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game, giving both teams five preseason games this year. Given that this is in essence a “freebie” game, don’t expect many starters to play in the game, if any at all, or for any length of time. Both teams will use this game to evaluate the depth on their roster and give those players plenty of reps under “game” conditions. This can be a very important game for some. Today, in an article at ESPN, Jason Garrett recounted how Jeff Heath, then an undrafted free agent, really stood out on the film of the Hall of Fame game the Cowboys played in 2013. This led to Heath making the roster, which in all likelihood has led to him being a starting safety for the team in 2017.

Cowboys fans would love to see Jaylon Smith in the Hall of Fame game, but there are reports that the team doesn’t plan to play him. Cowboys fans will just have to wait a while longer. Dallas will also be taking a long look at Jonathan Cooper at left guard. Chaz Green is injured, so Cooper has a huge opportunity.

Other players that definitely won’t be involved include Ryan Switzer (hamstring), Maliek Collins (hip flexor), Justin Durant (conditioning), David Irving (ankle) and Jourdan Lewis (hamstring).

It’s doubtful we see any of the stars like Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, etc. playing this game, but prospects like Taco Charlton and Chidobe Awuzie will get an opportunity to show what they can do. The rookie draft class will be under the lights and will be trying to prove they deserve playing time.

So when will this all take place? All the information you need for the game.

What You Need To Know

Important links: Cowboys depth chart | Roster

Date: August 3rd, 2017

Game time: 8:00 PM EST

Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio

TV channel: NBC

Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth

Radio: 105.3 The Fan | Full listings

Streaming: NFL.com GamePass

Cowboys record: (0-0)

Cardinals record: (0-0)

Odds: Dallas -3.5

Prediction: Dallas 23 - Arizona 20

Enemy blog: Revenge of the Birds

Twitter: @BloggingTheBoys

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