Gathers (concussion) appears to be a candidate to land on injured reserve, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Gathers has completed nearly two weeks in the concussion protocol, and with no end in sight, he'll remain sidelined from practice and the Cowboys' final preseason game Thursday versus the Texans. The absence is expected to extend into the regular season, making him a candidate to be placed on injured reserve or the IR/designated-to-return list. An up-and-coming tight end in advance of training camp, Gathers is now out of the running to back up starting TE Jason Witten to start the regular season.