The Dallas Cowboys had a much-needed bye in Week 7 to reset after a 4-2 start. There are clearly some areas where the Cowboys could improve, so it'd be no surprise if Mike McCarthy tinkers with his gameday roster this Sunday.
Ahead of kickoff, here are the most likely Dallas players to be inactive against the Los Angeles Rams.
Predicting Cowboys Inactives Week 8
1. Trey Lance
Another inactive tag should be expected for quarterback Trey Lance this week. He's provided depth behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush all season but is solely focused on learning the Cowboys system right now.
As a result, he doesn't figure to feature in Dallas' plans anytime soon, barring any major developments.
Thanks to the emergency third quarterback rule, the Cowboys can make Lance inactive and still have him in Week 8 if Prescott and Rush are both injured or ejected.
2. Deuce Vaughn
Running back is one area that McCarthy was already experimenting with prior to the bye with rookie Deuce Vaughn being a surprise inactive versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
Instead, Dallas opted to roll with practice squad RB Malik Davis as the third back behind Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle. Though Davis didn't get any rushing attempts, the fact that he passed Vaughn on the depth chart for this game is a significant development.
It's clear that the Cowboys want to see more from Vaughn, who's averaging a paltry 2.0 yards per carry this season. There's no telling what Dallas will do out of the bye, especially with RB coach Jeff Vlasko back on the sidelines, but it'd be no surprise if Vaughn is sidelined again after seemingly losing ground in the RB3 race.
3. Eric Scott, 4. Villiami Fehoko
The Cowboys' offense has the defense to mostly thank for the team's first four wins of the year. Dan Quinn's unit has remained one of the league's best once again in 2023, ranking No. 5 in fewest total yards allowed and sitting No. 3 in defensive DVOA.
While injuries have hurt this group early on, the remaining healthy players and the backups who've been promoted have stepped up. As a result, that's simply squeezed out rookies Eric Scott and Villiami Fehoko.
Scott was drafted in the sixth round to help provide some extra depth in Dallas' secondary. While that could still be in the cards, right now he's clearly got some work to do. The Southern Miss. product still hasn't made his NFL debut yet, failing to crack the lineup despite a rash of injuries to the CB room.
Meanwhile, Fehoko has the unfortunate pleasure of fighting for playing time on the Cowboys' loaded defensive line. He clearly has potential after winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last season at San Jose St., but with veteran EDGE talent like DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in front of him, he just has to focus on his development right now.
5. Asim Richards
Asim Richards is in a similarly crowded boat as Scott and Fehoko at the moment.
Dallas' early injuries on the offensive line actually allowed the rookie to earn a role to begin the year, suiting up in four contests. He logged a handful of offensive and special teams snaps, stepping up when the vets ahead of him were sidelined.
However, the Cowboys now have their preferred starting five back, which has closed Richards' opportunity. He's been made inactive in each of the past outings while the backup spots are handled by the more experienced Chuma Edoga, T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman.
With everyone healthy coming out of the bye and depth covered across the board, there's just no room for Richards in Week 8. He'll be a strong candidate to earn an active gameday designation if anyone goes down, though, considering how the coaching staff trusted him earlier this year.
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