The Cowboys welcome back a slew of key contributors on both sides of the ball for their Monday night wild-card matchup. For the offense, center Tyler Biadasz returns after missing the final regular season game with an ankle injury. Considering the outlook when the injury occurred, it’ll give quarterback Dak Prescott more confidence with the offensive line no longer a revolving door at multiple positions.
For Dan Quinn’s unit, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins returns from IR to give the front some much-needed run support. It’s give-and-take with fellow defensive tackles Neville Gallimore and Quinton Bohanna both out vs Tampa Bay, so Hankins will have high expectations in his return. Behind him, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is also back and healthy and the defense is as close to 100% as they can be. The wild card for the Dallas defense is cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who impressed in practice and was elevated to the active roster for his Cowboys debut in Tampa Bay.
The inactives list leaves Kelvin Joseph as CB4 for the game.
On the opposing side, Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards is active after being listed as questionable with a hip injury. Tom Brady will miss some protection up front with starting left guard Nick Leverett out. That said, Ryan Jensen makes a surprise return at center after missing the regular season with a knee injury. Take a look at the inactives for the wild card showdown between Dallas and Tampa Bay.