SAN DIEGO — Ben Gardner promises he will sleep Wednesday night.
But it would be understandable if nerves made for a restless slumber for the Cowboys defensive end.
On Thursday, in Dallas’ preseason opener against San Diego, Gardner will play his first football game since October 2013, when he was a senior at Stanford.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “I try not to think about it too much and keep my approach day-by-day in practice. But it’s definitely exciting.”
Gardner’s final year with the Cardinal was curtailed when he suffered an injury to his pectoral muscle.