ARLINGTON, Texas – It had long been suspected, but it's now official: Connor Williams will start in place of Xavier Su'a-Filo on Saturday night.
The Cowboys announced Su'a-Filo as one of their seven inactive players prior to Saturday's wildcard game, confirming that the veteran guard won't play against the Seahawks. He had been battling to get healthy all week after injuring his ankle last week against the Giants.
The other six inactives are Mike White, Darian Thompson, Chris Covington, Dorance Armstrong and David Irving.
This injury provides a big opportunity for Williams, who is back in the starting lineup after losing his job to Su'a-Filo when he got hurt earlier this season. The rookie started the first seven games of the season but was injured Nov. 5 against Tennessee. From that point, Su'a-Filo grabbed hold of the starting job and didn't let go.
It's just the latest twist for an offensive line that has battled injuries all season long. That dates back to the preseason, when Travis Frederick was diagnosed with Guillan-Barre Syndrome and was shut down for the entire season.
In addition to that, Tyron Smith and Zack Martin have battled various injuries all season long. Martin has been fighting a knee injury for most of the season, while Smith missed time in November with a stinger. Having said that, both veterans sat out of the regular season finale in anticipation of the playoffs, and they'll both be ready to go against the Seahawks.
The rest of the inactives are straightforward. Irving has been missing since October after spraining his ankle during practice, while White and Covington have been regulars on the inactive list. Thompson strained his groin during practice this week.
Armstrong is a healthy scratch, although that's not surprising with Tyrone Crawford returning from his neck injury. With Crawford's return, the Cowboys will have all of their p
