The Dallas Cowboys' cutdown day was full of surprises as the team lowered its player count right down to 53. Now the team is complete and it's finally all about the football game to be played on Sunday versus the Carolina Panthers. That's right, the real football season has begun. Cowboys players will be fully equipped on Sunday as they prepare themselves to open the season 1-0 on the road.
46 players will dress, and seven will be inactive. Since it's week 1 and we don't have any reference regarding who will be the inactives, I thought of sharing my thoughts with you on who will be the seven players not to dress for the Dallas Cowboys' season opener. Let me know what you think in the comments section below!
QB Mike White
Cooper Rush had a pretty rough offseason, possibly rough enough to open un a competition for the backup quarterback job in Dallas, but for now he is – and should be – the guy to play behind Dak Prescott.
Even if Mike White gets himself into QB2 consideration, the Cowboys will be better off by letting Rush be the one to put his shoulders on every week since he's been on the system for more than a year now. I wouldn't be surprised if just like they did last season, the team ends up releasing one of these two quarterbacks if they need a roster spot down the road.
C Travis Frederick
It seems there is a lot of optimism regarding Travis Frederick's health after the Cowboys decided to keep him on the 53-man roster instead of designating him to IR. However, he's definitely not going to be on the field for a while and will continue to be one of the team's inactive players week after week.
For now, it's Joe Looney's show.
S Xavier Woods
Another injured player. Xavier Woods is expected to start alongside Jeff Heath at safety once he's healthy. Woods is dealing with a hamstring injury and won't be on the field for week 1. He could come back pretty soon but for now Kris Richard's secondary will have to rely on Heath, Kavon Frazier and other backups such as Tyree Robinson if necessary.
After Frederick, Woods is the inactive player that will impact the most how the Cowboys do versus the Carolina Panthers. The safety position has been a concerning one and without Woods, Dallas has virtually zero depth at the position.
TE Dalton Schultz
So, this could come off as a surprise. Rico Gathers managed to make the roster even after getting arrested the night before cutdown day and the Cowboys have four tight ends on the roster but are likely to have one of them inactive for a while.
The discussion here is only between fourth-round rookie Dalton Schultz and Gathers. Blake Jarwin and Geoff Swaim will undoubtedly be active and will be the main TEs on the field at least to open the season. As for Gathers versus Schultz, it seems Gathers provides the offense with something the other tight ends don't, which is why I think Gathers will get the nod… he's a red zone threat. Swaim and Jarwin can block better than Gathers, but the coaching staff might want to dress Gathers for red zone situations or plays in which they can explode his raw talent.
DT Datone Jones
Datone Jones did not practice this Wednesday, as expected. For a moment, it seemed like the Cowboys were ready to send Jones to Injured Reserve but fortunately, it wasn't necessary. Datone had a pretty impressive season last year when he arrived to Dallas as a free agent and should continue to contribute in 2018.
However, it might take some time as he continues to rehab from a knee injury.
G Parker Ehinger
Ehinger comes to the Cowboys in a move that should have us very happy with the front office. They got a quality backup player for a thin offensive line in exchange of an undrafted free agent who wouldn't have made the team either way.
I loved this move by the Cowboys, but I won't be surprised if Ehinger shows up among the team's inactives. He was limited on Wednesday's practice and there are other backups on the team, such as the recently acquired Adam Redmond could help the offense if Ehinger isn't ready to go.
LB Chris Covington
The Cowboys ended up carrying seven linebackers in a decision that could be heavily based on special teams. Sixth-round rookie made the 53-man roster with little playing time throughout the preseason but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be part of the 46 active players on Sunday.
For now, I'm leaning towards no. I think Covington begins his season as an inactive player but could change that in the near future if he starts improving on special teams and becomes a special factor.
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There you have it, my educated guess at the Dallas Cowboys' week 1 inactives. We'll see how the official list looks like 90 minutes before game time.
