Dallas, TX
Cowboys at Commanders inactives: Zack Martin surprise inactive
The Cowboys are just over an hour away from kicking off their final game of the 2023 regular season, and a win over the Commanders would deliver them their second NFC East title in three years. We now have a better idea of who will and won’t be on the field to help accomplish that feat:
Obviously, the biggest surprise here is Zack Martin being inactive. Martin had been listed on the injury report, but only with a veteran rest designation and carried no game status for today. However, he’s been ruled out with an illness.
The Cowboys had an alarming 16 players on their injury report this week, but only five of them carried a game designation into today, with all five of them being questionable. One of those five was Tyler Smith, who fully tore his plantar fascia in last week’s game. Smith didn’t practice all week and, to little surprise, is inactive today.
The other four questionable players – Dorance Armstrong, Chauncey Golston, Juanyeh Thomas, and Johnathan Hankins – are all active and good to go. Golston and Thomas missed practice with an illness throughout the week, but both are suited up. Meanwhile, Hankins returns from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, as the Cowboys hope to ramp him up for playoff action next week.
The other players joining Smith on the inactive list are Eric Scott Jr., Noah Igbinoghene, Sheldrick Redwine, Viliami Fehoko , and Trey Lance. As has been the case all year, Lance is the emergency quarterback for this game. Fehoko was recently activated from the injured reserve, and this is his first game back, but the rookie will be inactive today.
Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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