Dallas Cowboys: Inactives revealed for Week 15 vs Buffalo Bills
The Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills will both be without key members of the team on Sunday for their Week 15 matchup. Due to injuries and illness, neither will have defenses at full strength. While Dallas, first in the NFC East, chases win No. 11 on the year, the Bills are looking for their eighth win as they trail the Dolphins in the AFC East.
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks, wide receiver Jalen Tolbert and cornerback Stephon Gilmore were among the list of Dallas’s sick players this week. They sat out of practice on Thursday. Tolbert was able to return as a limited participant Friday but Cooks and Gilmore did not. Luckily, all three are active for gameday.
Safety Malik Hooker was also questionable heading into the weekend, however, he is out for Sunday. Hooker suffered an ankle injury in the Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills ruled out safety Micah Hyde and defensive end A.J. Epenesa due to injuries. Wide receiver Justin Shorter and cornerback Kaiir Elam were also questionable on Saturday.
Here’s who’s in and who’s out for the Cowboys and Bills’ 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday.
Cowboys, Bills inactives
Dallas
DT Jonathan Hankins
WR Jalen Brooks
RB Deuce Vaughn
QB Trey Lance
S Malik Hooker
CB Eric Scott
T Asim Richards
Buffalo
S Micah Hyde
DE AJ Epenesa
G Germain Ifedi
T Alec Anderson
DT Poona Ford
DT Jonathan Hankins ‘out’ for Cowboys
As the Cowboys begin to pursue some separation from the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East, they’ll have to do so without starting defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. Hankins, who suffered an ankle sprain against the Eagles, will miss the game against the 7-6 Bills in Buffalo.
So far this season, Hankins has 26 tackles with three sacks. The last time he had three sacks in a single season was in 2016 for the Giants.
Hankins joined Dallas last October in a trade with Las Vegas that sent a Cowboys’ 2023 sixth-round pick to the Raiders, and a 2024 seventh-round pick back to Dallas. The veteran out of Ohio State came in to bolster the Cowboys’ already stout defensive line group.
He played in several games, then tore a pectoral muscle, but made his return in time for the playoffs. He finished the year with five postseason tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss, as well as 10 tackles in five regular season games. After the end of the playoff run, Dallas signed the tackle to a new one-year deal for $1.5 million.
To make up for what the Cowboys defense will lose against the Bills run game, Mike McCarthy plans to insert first-round draft pick Mazi Smith. The rookie has 10 tackles through 13 games, including a tackle for loss.