PHILADELPHIA – Ron Leary won't be active when the Cowboys face off against the Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
The two-year starter at left guard was the biggest question mark among the team's seven inactive players, which also included Dez Bryant, Randy Gregory, James Hanna, Christine Michael, Ken Bishop and Ryan Russell.
Leary's absence isn't overly surprising, considering he didn't practice all week during the buildup to the Cowboys' first road trip of the season. That said, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett admitted on Friday that he'd wait until game time to make a decision.
"Ron has some experience with us so we'll see how he does today in practice and we'll really take this decision all the way until Sunday," he said.
With that decision made, the starting spot once again falls to Mackenzy Bernadeau, who last started in Week 9 of 2014 when Leary was ruled out of the Nov. 2 loss to Arizona. Bernadeau also started 11 games in 2013 when Brian Waters was lost for the year with a triceps injury.
Leary's injury will also open the door for La'el Collins to make his first regular season appearance in uniform. The rookie was inactive last week, but Leary's injury will make him the next man up if anything should befall either Bernadeau or Zack Martin.
Collins isn't the only rookie suiting up for the first time. The Cowboys ruled James Hanna out with a knee injury on Saturday afternoon, making way for Geoff Swaim to be active for the first time in his career. Coleman, a second-year defensive tackle, will also be active for the first time this season as the Cowboys attempt to cope with the loss of Gregory to a sprained ankle.
Somewhat surprisingly, Brice Butler will be active just five days after joining the roster. The Cowboys traded a conditional draft pick to Oakland to acquire the 6-3 receiver on Tuesday – presumably as a response to the multi-week absence of Dez Bryant to a broken metatarsal.
Bishop and Russell are both inactive for the second-straight week, as the Cowboys will opt to go forward with just seven defensive linemen.
