Dallas Cowboys: Inactives for Week 1 vs New York Giants

The Dallas Cowboys meet the New York Giants for the first Sunday Night Football game of the 2023 regular season and they’ll do so without several members of the secondary and starting left guard Tyler Smith.

The two NFC East rivals kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and both will miss a few key players.

With less than two hours to go before kickoff, the Cowboys and Giants have released their final list of inactives for the game.

Dallas Cowboys Week 1 Inactives

ACTIVE
S Malik Hooker (illness)
OL Tyron Smith (ankle)

INACTIVE
OL Tyler Smith (hamstring)
CB Jourdan Lewis (foot)
S Donovan Wilson (calf)
CB Eric Scott
WR Jalen Brooks
DE Viliami Fehoko

Giants Inactives

ACTIVE
TE Darren Waller (hamstring)
RB Gary Brightwell (knee)
TE Lawrence Cager (ankle)

INACTIVE
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee)
S Gerrvarious Owens (hamstring)
CB Cordale Flott (hamstring)
LB Cameron Brown (ankle)
DT DJ Davidson (knee)
G Shane Lemieux

Dallas will be without both left guard Tyler Smith and safety Donovan Wilson, both of whom were listed as doubtful head into the weekend. They’ll also miss cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and rookie Eric Scott.

Left tackle Tyron Smith and defensive end Sam Williams are active, however, as is Malik Hooker who had an illness late in the week.

An MRI confirmed early this week that Tyler Smith, the 2022 first-round pick out of Tulsa, suffered a hamstring strain. He started all 17 games as a rookie, performing admirably. The 22-year-old earned a 71.4 overall grade and allowed six sacks in 1,144 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. The Cowboys could slot rookie Asim Richards in for Smith at left guard, though Jon Machota of the Athletic reports that the team will go with the more veteran option, Chuma Edoga.

Though his status was in doubt, Malik Hooker was optimistic about playing in Sunday’s game. He sent out a GIF of the “Jordan Flu Game” after landing on the injury list. Hooker appeared in 16 contests for Dallas last season, racking up 62 tackles, three interceptions and a scoop-and-score.

The Cowboys do have Trey Lance ready to go as the third quarterback in case of emergency.

Cowboys enter NYG matchup as favorites

The Cowboys are a 3.5-point favorite over the Giants, despite traveling to face them. Dallas won both matchups against New York Last season. First, they won 23-16 in Week 3 action on the road. Then, they beat the Giants again at AT&T Stadium 28-20 in Week 12.

After the Week 1 game, the Cowboys will see the Giants again in Week 10 after another divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“This is a super competitive division,” McCarthy said Monday of the NFC East. “I think all four teams have the opportunity to be in the playoff hunt.”

For the Cowboys, Dak Prescott is suiting up for his eighth season in the league. He’s led Dallas to back-to-back 12-5 finishes over the past two seasons and battled injuries along the way. Meanwhile, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones enters Year 5. He posted career-highs in yardage and completion percentage last season while taking New York to a 9-7-1 finish.

Prescott hasn’t lost to the Giants as the starter for the Cowboys since his rookie season in 2016.

Prior to the game, the Cowboys announced the three captains as Tony Pollard, DeMarcus Lawrence and C.J. Goodwin.