LANDOVER, Md. – The Cowboys are heading into this Week 7 matchup with all four of their tight ends active.
That's the most striking news to come out of Sunday's inactives, given that the Cowboys aren't facing any serious injury issues. The team announced 90 minutes prior to kickoff that Mike White, Tavon Austin, Joe Thomas, Caraun Reid, Chris Covington, Xavier Su'a-Filo and Daniel Ross are all inactive for Sunday's game against Washington.
None of that is terribly surprising. Austin and Thomas were ruled out on Friday, as they are still coping with previous injuries. White, Reid, Covington and Su'a-Filo have been regulars on the inactive list. And Ross is likely down this week due to the fact that David Irving and Maliek Collins are both available.
It is a bit surprising to see that Dalton Schultz is active for the first time since Week 1 against Carolina. Schultz played a minimal role in that loss to the Panthers and has been inactive ever since.
Not only is he active for Week 7 – the coaching staff opted not to sit any of their other tight ends, either. Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin and Rico Gathers will all be available against Washington, so it will be interesting to see how the snaps are divvied up.
It's also noteworthy that Chidobe Awuzie is active this week. Awuzie was active last week but did not play, as he continues to work his way through an ankle injury. So, while he will be in uniform, that's not necessarily a guarantee of his availability.
Washington has some notable inactives. The Redskins ruled out wide receiver Jamison Crowder with an ankle injury on Friday, and wide receiver Paul Richardson and running back Chris Thompson joined him on the inactive list on Sunday.
Those are big losses for the Washington passing game, which has leaned heavily on tight ends and running backs this season. With Richardson and Crowder both sitting, the Redskins' leading active wide receiver is Josh Doctson, who has just eight catches on the year.
