Cowboys vs Lions inactives: Tyron Smith good to go

The Cowboys are getting closer to kicking off their final home game of the regular season and hoping to snap their first losing streak of the year with a win against the visiting Lions. After playing without their trusty left tackle a week ago, Dallas now knows for sure what Tyron Smith’s status will be for this important matchup.

After missing last week’s game with a back injury, Tyron Smith returned to practice on Thursday in a limited capacity, offering hope that he would be able to play. While nothing is set in stone - Smith was active but still sat out in an earlier game this season - all signs point to the future Hall of Famer playing in this one, as he is active.

Two players are on the inactive list with injuries, both of whom were ruled out earlier in the week. Those two are Johnathan Hankins, who is missing his third straight game after suffering an ankle injury, and Rico Dowdle. The running back has been nursing an ankle injury for several weeks now, but this is his first time missing a game due to the injury. Rookie Deuce Vaughn is expected to replace him as the top backup behind Tony Pollard.

In addition to those two players, the rest of the inactives list includes some usual suspects: Eric Scott Jr., Noah Igbinoghene, Asim Richards, and Trey Lance as the emergency quarterback. Additionally, Matt Waletzko is inactive in his first game since being activated from the injured reserve.

As for the Lions, their only inactive player due to injury is backup tight end Brock Wright. However, two key rotational players on defense - slot C.J. Gardner-Johnson and edge rusher James Houston - remain on the injured reserve after initial hope they might be activated for this game.