The NFL season officially commences on Thursday night with a showdown between division rivals. The Dallas Cowboys will visit the Philadelphia Eagles on banner night, as the Philly fans celebrate their second Super Bowl victory and Cowboys fans attempt to move on from the ill-fated Micah Parsons trade.
Ask the Eagles, as last season's success is already in the rearview mirror. Nick Sirianni does not plan on bringing the team out to watch the banner ceremony. Jalen Hurts still has a screenshot of Philly's Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs three year ago as the lock screen on his phone. The dude is almost psychotically committed to winning.
And yet, this is a different Eagles team. Howie Roseman was able to keep most of his essential pieces, like Pro Bowl linebacker Zack Baun, but Philly did inevitably need to make a few hard cuts in order to preserve cap flexibility. Longtime stars like Darius Slay bit the dust. CJ Gardner-Johnson is on to greener pastures. The defense is younger, Saquon Barkley has a lot more miles on his knees. We don't know entirely what to expect from this revised version of the Eagles.
Meanwhile, Dallas just sent Micah Parsons to Green Bay, so emotions are running high in the fanbase — and no doubt in the clubhouse. This is a prime opportunity for Dak Prescott to remind folks of how good he is, but how the Cowboys' defense will hold up remains to be seen. You can easily point to the O-line, the run game, and other areas of concern, too.
This should be a fun opener between two bitter rivals to kick off the 2025 NFL campaign. There are, however, a few noteworthy injuries to account for.
Philadelphia Eagles Week 1 inactives
Name | Injury |
|---|---|
QB Tanner McKee | Right thumb |
EDGE Azeez Ojulari | N/A |
EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo | N/A |
OL Drew Kendall | N/A |
OT Cameron Williams | N/A |
OG Kenyon Green | N/A |
DT Ty Robinson | N/A |
Outside of Tanner McKee, it's not too incredibly shocking to see this list of Eagles inactives. While there is talent in this group, most of the guys who are out for the season opener against Dallas are depth pieces. That's especially true on the offensive line with Kendall, Williams and Green, but also true on the defensive front. Having said that, if there was one surprise in the group, that would be Azeez Ojulari, who felt as if he could potentially contribute meaningfully in a rotational role.
McKee hurt his thumb in preseason and will miss a few weeks to begin the campaign. While the backup quarterback never feels important, all it takes is one wrong step from Jalen Hurts for this to become a major issue for the Eagles.
We have scant evidence of what McKee can do against meaningful competition, but every time he steps on the field in preseason, he looks like one of the absolute best backup quarterbacks in the NFL. He traded blows with Joe Burrow in Week 1 of preseason and he looks comfortable, at the very least, running Philly's scheme in a pinch.
In his absence, the Eagles will turn to the recently acquired Sam Howell, the UNC product with a big arm but a history of turnover problems. Howell is plenty talented to execute backup quarterback duties and it's impossible to find a better setup, on paper, than this Eagles offense. But McKee's injury looms large if worse comes to worst with regard to Hurts' health.
The Eagles are also without linebacker Nakobe Dean, who will be out for at least the first month of the season.
Dallas Cowboys Week 1 inactives
Name | Injury |
|---|---|
DT Perrion Winfrey | Back |
DT Mazi Smith | N/A |
LB Shemar James | N/A |
OT Ajani Cornelius | N/A |
RB Jaydon Blue | N/A |
OT Hakeem Adeniji | N/A |
OG Trevor Keegan | N/A |
The inactives for Dallas came with a bit of a shock factor with some of the names that were listed. While at least one was expected, seeing former first-rounder Mazi Smith listed as a healthy inactive continues the falling stock for the Michigan product. However, Cowboys fans can understand that given his lack of effectiveness. A bigger surprise was rookie running back Jaydon Blue being listed as inactive as the speedster out of Texas figured to play a key role in the offense. After dealing with injuries in preseason and training camp, though, perhaps they're still ramping him up.
The only Cowboys regular with an official injury status for Thursday's game in defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey. The third-year pass rusher, a fourth-round pick to Cleveland in 2022, did not see a single NFL snap last season. He's currently recovering from a back injury suffered in practice and should return sooner than later in as a backup.
As for the more serious ailments facing Dallas, few stand out more than second-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, a 2024 third-round pick who put up 90 tackles and five sacks as a rookie in 13 games (12 starts). He has expressed confidence in his recovery and optimism for an early return, but he won't be eligible to take the field until Week 5 as he works his way back from a multiple-ligament tear in his knee last December.