3.Peyton Hendershot
Peyton Hendershot was inactive with an ankle injury last week, and we'll likely see the same thing again for Sunday Night Football.
First of all, he's still not practicing at all yet. And like Dowdle, he's simply not good enough or integral enough to what the Cowboys' offensive plans to be worth trotting out there if there's even a bit of doubt about how productive he'll be.
Sean McKeon was elevated last week, and he really impressed in Hendershot's place. Important people in Dallas took notice:
"I thought [Sean] McKeon's block downfield, to run downfield to recover that football was one of the most impressive plays than I've seen in a long time. Cause he did a good job blocking, you would have thought he was running for the last play of his life in the Super Bowl and he… https://t.co/ojAvovKEIb
— Jess Nevarez (@JessNevarez_) October 3, 2023
Some fans were surprised that McKeon didn't make the 53-man roster at the start of the season anyway, and play like we saw in Week 4 could very well earn him a permanent spot on the unit.
McKeon also has some nice added versatility. He can play fullback, so that adds a layer of depth behind Leupke if the Cowboys do want to get the rookie a little more involved as a ball-carrier. He's also probably a better special teams player than Hendershot, and while that doesn't often make or break a roster spot, it's certainly part of the equation.
If Hendershot can't get healthy and impress when he is, being an inactive might become a weekly thing for the 24-year-old, with a real possibility that he ends up waived and signed back to the practice squad.