Cowboys at Panthers inactives: Rico Dowdle good to go

The Cowboys are close to kicking off against the Panthers, hoping to notch a road win over the team with the worst record in the league before heading back home for a quick turnaround, with a divisional game on Thanksgiving. We now have a more clear picture of who will and won’t be playing today.

The biggest news is that Rico Dowdle is active and will play. He landed on the injury report this week with an ankle injury after recording a season high 12 carries in last week’s win. Dowdle had been a full participant all week, but didn’t show up on the injury report until Saturday’s walk-through. It appears that the running back is fine, though it will be interesting to see how much usage he incurs given the injury status.

Dowdle was the only real question mark as everyone else on the injury report carried no game designation heading into today. That means KaVontae Turpin is back after missing last week’s game. Two details to note: tight end Peyton Hendershot had his 21-day practice window activated this week, but is not going to return from the injured reserve today despite being a full participant all week. Additionally, rookie edge rusher Viliami Fehoko was added to the injured reserve as a coinciding move with linebacker Rashaan Evans, who was signed to the active roster after having used up his standard elevations for the season.

All of this means the inactive list today is full of healthy scratches, which is a good sign. The list includes Deuce Vaughn, Eric Scott Jr., Noah Igbinoghene, Asim Richards, and Trey Lance. As has been the case all year, Lance is the team’s designated emergency quarterback, per the NFL rules change this year.

As for the Panthers, they’re set to be without three starters due to injury today. Cornerback Jaycee Horn has been on the injured reserve since Week 2, and despite some initial hope he might return for this one, Horn was ruled out early in the week. Fellow starting corner C.J. Henderson, who missed last week with a concussion, will also be inactive today. He’ll join starting tight end Hayden Hurst, who also has a concussion. Hurst is notable for his shared charitable efforts alongside Dak Prescott.