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We did it. It’s game day.
The Dallas Cowboys begin their regular season today against the New York Giants, but when things kick off on Sunday afternoon don’t expect to see one of the team’s better defenders play as much as you’re used to. According to ESPN, Byron Jones won’t be starting.
Source: the #Cowboys won’t start Pro Bowl CB Byron Jones against the NYG. He’s been recovering from offseason hip surgery. He will play but snaps will be closely monitored. Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown had outstanding preseasons.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) September 8, 2019
Jones is coming off of hip surgery this offseason. 2019 is a contract year for him so needless to say this season is important for many reasons, but it appears that the Cowboys are going to keep him on a sort of pitch count against the Giants.
Truthfully, with full awareness that no NFL game is easy and that this is in fact an NFC East team the Cowboys are playing, this looks to be on paper a game that Dallas can afford to operate with caution when it comes to Byron Jones. The Giants don’t exactly have a treasure chest full of weapons and Eli Manning is regarded as - at this point in his career - one of the least-intimidating quarterbacks across the league.
Dallas should be able to handle things with Jourdan Lewis in there, and honestly it’s a great thing to see him get playing time. This exact scenario is why it’s such a great thing for Dallas to have the depth that they do in the secondary, a luxury many teams would certainly like as well.
Trysten Hill could be inactive on top of all that
While we’re talking about the defense, make sure that you’re aware of one of the Cowboys rookie draft picks potentially being inactive against the G-Men, their top-drafted rookie. Per the mothership’s Bryan Broaddus, the last inactive spot could come down to Trysten Hill or Joe Jackson.
The final inactive spot could come down to Trysten Hill and Joe Jackson this afternoon. The fact that Jackson could play DT as well as DE could help them in their rotation.
— BryanBroaddus (@BryanBroaddus) September 8, 2019
Trysten Hill hasn’t exactly set the world on fire to this point through training camp and the preseason while Joe Jackson is someone that Jerry Jones has bragged about at every opportunity. If Hill is inactive, it would mean that the Cowboys are beginning their season without a first-, second-, or third-round pick from this year’s draft class on their active gameday roster. This again speaks to their overall depth.
We’ll have the full inactive list ready for you here at BTB as soon as it’s made available. Until then enjoy the rest of Sunday’s action and get ready for what is hopefully a fun and memorable afternoon.