Cowboys NFL Injury & Inactives Update For Rams: New Starter At RT

The news kept getting better for the Dallas Cowboys on the injury front over the course of the lead-up to Week 1 Sunday night at the Los Angeles Rams, with coach Mike McCarthy announcing before the Thursday morning practice at The Star in Frisco that defensive backs Chidobe Awuzie and Xavier Woods and receiver Amari Cooper are "full capacity'' for the season opener.

"They've had a good weekend of rehab," McCarthy.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

They had a good week of practice, too, so Woods (groin) and Awuzie (knee) are good to go. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury, so he's inactive for tonight, joining QB Ben DiNucci, tight end Sean McKeon, guard Connor McGovern, LB Luke Gifford and safety Reggie Robinson.

Also, among the 48 players will be active is Brandon Carr. His rather astounding boomerang-back to the Cowboys story is below.

Dallas will obviously start Woods at safety. The smart bet at the other corner opposite Anthony Brown? It's something to watch as rookie second-rounder Trevon Diggs is the step-up guy at cornerback in competition with Awuzie.

Also worth noting: newcomer vet Daryl Worley, a full-time starter during his time with the Raiders, should play the slot-corner spot against a Rams team that figures to push Dallas into its Nickel defense often.

The above inactive list means that receiver Amari Cooper (hamstring) is ready to play, as the coach said in proclaiming him "full capacity'' in his readiness, despite a summer of restricted participation.

Dallas will of course be missing its trio of IR players, including right tackle La'el Collins. We asked McCarthy about the "plan'' there and he said vet newcomer Cam Erving will be the starter in that spot. We wonder if youngsters Terence Steele (6-6, 310) and Brandon Knight might've also been in competition there ... and now we know, McCarthy revealing on the 105.3 The Fan pregame show that it's the UDFA rookie Steele from Texas Tech who won the job ... and who is a now a key to this game.