TAMPA, Fla. – Two of the Cowboys' three injury concerns at linebacker will be able to play Sunday against the Buccaneers.
The team announced its seven game day inactives on Sunday morning, and neither Rolando McClain nor Anthony Hitchens was among them. Sean Lee was ruled out with a concussion on Friday, but McClain and Hitchens have been cleared to suit up.
The seven inactives are Brice Butler, Corey White, Trey Williams, Lee, Ron Leary, Geoff Swaim and Ryan Russell.
Butler has been battling a hamstring injury since Oct. 4, when he strained it while making a catch against the Saints. He was unable to practice this week and will be sidelined for the third-consecutive game this season.
This is White's second-straight week on the inactive list, as the Cowboys' coaching staff continues to swap between him and fellow cornerback Tyler Patmon. White earned the nod in Week 7 against New York and Week 8 against Seattle, but Patmon has grabbed the No. 3 cornerback spot in the last two weeks.
This is Williams' second week on the roster after signing from Washington's practice squad, but he has yet to be made available for a game. The Cowboys will instead stick with their trio of Darren McFadde, Christine Michael and Rod Smith.
Leary has been inactive since Week 7, when rookie guard La'el Collins replaced him in the starting lineup. Mackenzy Bernadeau will serve as the backup to both Collins and Zack Martin, as well as a No. 2 center behind Travis Frederick.
Swaim and Russell, both late-round draft picks in the spring, have been inactive for the majority of the season.
The availability of both Hitchens and McClain for kickoff gives the Cowboys a stronger linebacker corps than initially expected. Hitchens is expected to start at weak side linebacker – typically Lee's position – while McClain will start in the middle. Kyle Wilber is expected to play on the strong side when the Cowboys are in their base defense.
The Cowboys called up second-year linebacker Keith Smith from the practice squad on Saturday to serve as additional depth, should anything happen to their regular contributors.
