ARLINGTON, Texas – Tony Romo won't be in uniform when the Cowboys kick off their season opener against the New York Giants – the first time that's happened in more than a decade.
Romo, who is still recovering from the back injury he suffered on Aug. 25, headlined the Cowboys' list of seven inactives for Week 1. He was joined on the inactive list by Dax Swanson, Darius Jackson, Kavon Frazier, Mark Nzeocha, Ronald Leary and Charles Tapper.
This week's inactives are fairly straightforward, given the injury issues on the roster right now. Romo, Tapper and Nzeocha have been ruled out since Friday, as the trio was held out of practice. Tapper is working his way back from a back injury, while Nzeocha is still recuperating from the Achilles strain he suffered in the Aug. 19 preseason win against Miami.
It's not a surprise to see Leary scratched from the lineup, either, given that the veteran guard was limited by a groin strain all week.
The other three inactives are healthy scratches for some of the Cowboys' younger players. Rookies Darius Jackson and Kavon Frazier will be inactive for their first regular season games, which isn't overly surprising. The Cowboys have three running backs and two full backs on the 46-man roster, limiting the need to play Jackson. The same goes for Frazier, who has four safeties above him on the depth chart in Byron Jones, Barry Church, Jeff Heath and J.J. Wilcox.
Swanson isn't a rookie, but he wouldn't figure to have much of a role, either. He's been in the league since 2013, but with four cornerbacks above him on the depth chart – and Lucky Whitehead entrenched as the Cowboys' primary returner – it's not surprising to see him sidelined.
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