Mazi Smith, Jaydon Blue update: Status for Cowboys vs. Giants revealed

The Dallas Cowboys have released their inactives list ahead of Week 2’s home opener against the New York Giants. Here’s how Sunday’s list shakes up:

Cowboys:

Out:
CB DaRon Bland
RB Jaydon Blue
DT Mazi Smith
LB Shemar James
OT Ajani Cornelius
OL Hakeem Adeniji
OL Trevor Keegan

Both teams made prior announcements that certain players will be out on Sunday. Giants LB Micah McFadden and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles were ruled out prior to Sunday. McFadden (foot) did not practice at all during the week, while Flannigan-Fowles (calf) was a light participant on Wednesday but did not see the practice field after that.

Meanwhile, Dallas has been tracking the injury status of fourth-year CB DaRon Bland. He reportedly suffered a foot injury at practice on Monday and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks. The injury was first revealed on Wednesday when the Cowboys announced Bland did not practice.

It’s obviously unfortunate for him,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He’ll be working with the medical staff. No timetable for his return.”

Bland was one of the five Cowboys defenders who played in all 63 snaps during Dallas’ season opener the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 1. The 26-year-old recorded three tackles in the Cowboys’ 24-20 loss.

In 2024, Bland played in seven games and recorded 41 tackles and five passes defended. He was coming off a 2023 season, where he tallied 69 tackles, 15 passes defended, nine interceptions and an NFL record five picks returned for touchdowns.

The Cowboys have high hopes for Bland. This is seen in the fact that Bland signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension with the Cowboys last month. It made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

The Cowboys selected Bland in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He joined the team after spending the 2021 season at Fresno State and notched two interceptions and five passes defended in 13 games.

Bland is a leader on the Cowboys defense and without his services, the Cowboys will be sorely missing his production down the stretch. With no specific timeline available for his return,

Elsewhere on the Cowboys injury front, safety Malik Hooker is ready to go after working through a foot injury throughout the week. He also played every defensive snaps for the Cowboys in last Thursday’s season-opener against the Eagles. Hooker was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but was a full-participant on Friday.

Kickoff between the Cowboys and Giants is set for 1 p.m. ET live on FOX. The Cowboys have won 15 of the last 16 games, including eight-straight against the New York Giants heading into the matchup.