The Cowboys got a welcome boost heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, and the biggest name on the inactive list is one that isn’t there: George Pickens.
Pickens was not listed among Dallas’ inactives, which means he will suit up after the team’s primetime win last week over the Philadelphia Eagles. Kenny Clark is also available, so the Cowboys will have both their second-best wide receiver and second-best defensive tackle on the field.
Dallas did, however, make one notable surprise call with Shavon Revel Jr., who is a healthy scratch. Revel has been inactive on game days before because of his injury history, but this time the decision appears tied to the Cowboys’ improved depth.
With Cobie Durant and P.J. Locke back, Dallas doesn’t seem to need the 2025 third-round pick active.
Ameer Speed has also given the team a useful presence on the outside and is a better special teams option than Revel Jr. right now. The cornerback room, while not loaded with elite talent, is crowded enough that it could get even tighter if Devin Moore returns from injury.
The rest of the list mostly tracks with what Dallas had already been dealing with. Jack Sanborn and KaVontae Turpin were ruled out earlier in the week and will miss their second straight game. Tyler Goodson can handle Turpin’s special teams role, while Camden Brown brings field-stretching speed on offense.
The Cowboys are also getting DeMarvion Overshown back, and Shemar James has played better than expected, which helps soften the blow of losing Winters, who was struggling this season. At tight end, Luke Schoonmaker was limited in practice all week, but James Mitchell was elevated from the practice squad and will serve as the third tight end.
On the healthy scratch side, Hakeem Adeniji is out, as he should be. Ajani Cornelius is inactive for the second straight week after James Houston held that spot for several weeks before him.
Marist Liufau and Jonathan Bullard were questionable, but neither was activated to the 53-man roster, so they will not play against Arizona.
In Other News...
Cowboys Latest Collapse Drew A Brutal Critique They Couldn't Ignore
Another home loss left the Cowboys staring at a 3-5 record, and the postgame tone around the building was as bleak as the finish. Brian Schottenheimer talked about personal responsibility after the overtime defeat, while Dak Prescott stepped in to defend his coach as the criticism started to pile up around a team that keeps finding new ways to let games slip away.
Mike Tomlin added to that pressure from the Sunday Night Football broadcast, calling out Dallas for a lack of urgency and execution. For a Cowboys team already trying to steady itself after another collapse, hearing that kind of blunt assessment from an opposing coach only sharpened the scrutiny and underscored how little room there is left for excuses. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Just Lost Their Biggest Trade Hope On Defense
The pass-rush market always gets noisy when a contender starts looking for help, and Maxx Crosby had become one of the bigger names floating around that conversation for Dallas. But ESPNs Adam Schefter reported that Crosby is happy in Las Vegas and is not looking for a trade, which takes one of the Cowboys most intriguing defensive possibilities off the board for now. The Raiders, for their part, are not planning to move him at the 2026 NFL trade deadline.
For a Cowboys team still searching for ways to bolster its edge rush, that leaves the front office back in the familiar position of scanning the market and weighing other options. Dallas has been connected to players such as Josh Sweat, but Crosby was the kind of impact target that could have changed the conversation. Instead, the Cowboys will have to keep looking while the Raiders keep one of their defensive centerpieces right where he is. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Exposed A Cowboys Problem Fans Have Seen Too Often
The Cowboys latest loss had the familiar feel of a team letting a winnable game slip away, this time in Arizona after building a 14-point lead and then watching it disappear. Dallas fell to 3-5, and the frustration around the defense grew louder after the Cardinals kept hanging around long enough to turn the game into an overtime defeat.
Jerry Jones did not add fuel to the fire afterward, even as criticism of head coach Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Christian Parker continued to mount. The owner said he is not considering any coaching changes, leaving the Cowboys to answer for another collapse on the field while the questions about accountability keep waiting for a different kind of response. [Read more 🡒]