Cowboys, Buccaneers make final roster moves ahead of wild card matchup

The Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers squads both made some critical roster moves ahead of their 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff on Monday. Now activated from injured reserve for the Cowboys is defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins who injured his pectoral muscle with four games left in the regular season.

Hankins practiced with the team this week and is expected to make his return for the wild card game. He told reporters on Wednesday that he felt more than ready to get back on the field.

The Buccaneers also announced the return of a critical piece in the trenches on Monday afternoon. Center Ryan Jensen practiced with the team this week and received his activation to the 52-man roster with just hours to go before kickoff.

He tore his ACL and other ligaments in his knee during training camp, making a rapid recovery. He could play on Monday night, which would help the Bucs since they’ve had to shuffle their offensive line recently. To make room for Jensen on the active roster, the team waived linebacker J.J. Russell.

The Cowboys also announced the elevation of new veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Signed to the practice squad last Saturday, Rhodes could have a role in the secondary this week. The 10-year vet told reporters this week he still has a lot to give to the Dallas defense.

Also elevated from the practice squad, tackle Aviante Collins is also on the Cowboys active roster for the wild card matchup on Monday night.

Biadasz, Vander Esch back for Cowboys

Starting center Tyler Biadasz has only missed one full game but his absence caused three-fifths of the offensive line to shuffle. With Biadasz out of the lineup, Dallas had just 64 rushing yards on Sunday, which was two yards shy of a season-low.

Fresh off of his high-ankle sprain, the center out of Wisconsin shared a very positive update on his health on Wednesday.

“I feel great, I do,” Biadasz said. “I’ll be ready to go.”

With Biadasz back, the Cowboys can move Connor McGovern back to left guard and slot rookie Tyler Smith back in at left tackle where he had been thriving in previous weeks.

Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is also expected to make his return after suffering a pinched nerve versus the Jaguars. Vander Esch was full-go at practice this week after slowly working his way back ahead of the Washington game.