The Cowboys and Buccaneers were supposed to spend Thursday night testing each other’s weak spots. Instead, the pregame injury report turned the matchup into something closer to a depth chart exam.
Dallas will be without newly acquired cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who was ruled out because of illness. That leaves the Cowboys trying to hold together a secondary that already enters the game with one of the league’s least effective pass defenses, while Tampa Bay gets a clear opening to attack a reshuffled back end.
The timing matters because the Cowboys are also bringing back a key piece up front. All-Pro guard Tyler Smith, who just came off injured reserve and practiced all week, is active and will play against the Buccaneers. In 2025, Smith allowed just three sacks in more than 1,100 snaps, which is the kind of stability Dallas can use in a game where protection has become part of the story on both sides.
For Tampa Bay, the opportunity comes with its own complications. Baker Mayfield is out for a second straight game, and the Buccaneers’ offense has to work around that absence while facing a Dallas defense that has struggled to generate pressure. The Cowboys do not have a single player with more than one sack this season, a telling number for a unit that will need to make life difficult for Tampa Bay without Porter in the secondary.
That puts even more emphasis on the Buccaneers’ own protection issues. Their offensive line was supposed to be a strength, but it has become a weak point opponents have been able to exploit. Tampa Bay has already seen what that can look like when the pocket collapses, and the concern now is whether the line can hold up long enough to take advantage of Dallas’ missing cornerback.
The Buccaneers are also dealing with their own defensive absences. Antoine Winfield Jr. is out with a rib fracture and is expected to miss two to four weeks, Benjamin Morrison is out with a quad injury, and SirVocea Dennis is also ruled out. That is a lot of turnover for a defense that still has to line up against a Cowboys offense getting a boost from Smith’s return.
There is at least one return on Tampa Bay’s side, too. Rookie outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. is set to come back, giving the Buccaneers another body in a defense that needs them. The team’s inactives were submitted shortly before kickoff, and the list underscored how much of this game is being shaped before either side takes a snap.
The result is a matchup built less around the original plan and more around who can absorb the losses better. Dallas has to replace Porter Jr. in the secondary. Tampa Bay has to navigate Mayfield’s absence, a battered offensive line, and a defense missing several pieces of its own. Tyler Smith’s return gives the Cowboys one more stabilizer. Porter’s absence gives the Buccaneers one more target.