Cowboys' Week 3 inactives feature two head-scratching decisions

Which players will be inactive as the Dallas Cowboys visit the Chicago Bears?

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys are in the Windy City, ready for their Week 3 showdown with the Chicago Bears.

Dallas entered Sunday with a couple of questions about their inactive list. While DaRon Bland was already ruled out, the Cowboys were also unsure if Trevon Diggs would play. Prior to the game, Diggs was able to test out his sore knee and had no issues, meaning he would play.

There was also Jadeven Clowney, their new defensive end, who signed last Sunday. Clowney was also a game-time decision, but he won't play just yet as he was listed among their Week 3 inactives. While his inclusion shouldn't be too surprising, there were a couple of head-scratching decisions.

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One was the fact that Mazi Smith is about to make his debut. The former first-round pick had fallen out of favor and was left off in favor of rookie seventh-rounder Jay Toia in Weeks 1 and 2. Smith has been working to improve, but the question is whether this move was due to his improvement or Toia's struggles.

Cowboys inactives vs. Chicago:

DE Jadeveon Clowney
RB Jaydon Blue
CB DaRon Bland
DT Jay Toia
LB Shemar James
OL Ajani Cornelius
OG Trevon Keegan

— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) September 21, 2025

The other head-scratcher is the absence of Jaydon Blue. The Cowboys have had a strong ground game thanks to Javonte Williams, but Blue's skill set makes him an ideal change-of-pace back.

Clearly, the staff doesn't trust him though, since he's still waiting to make his debut.

Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue carries the ball during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

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