The Cowboys close out the regular season in a meaningless game, at least as the playoffs are concerned, against the woeful New York Giants. It could be an opportunity for coaches to get valuable in-game evaluation time for some of the key backups. Here’s a look at which players should sit and who should play in New York:
Who should sit
Dak Prescott, QB: He leads the league in passing yards and is coming off a game where he was sacked six times and hit 11 more.
Javonte Williams, RB: He’s been battling through a shoulder stinger and enters free agency coming off a career year.
Trevon Diggs, CB: He’s battled through injuries a majority of the season and getting him to the offseason healthy is the goal now.
Cowboys
Quinnen Williams, DT: A solid pickup at the trade deadline, but he’s had some nagging health issues.
Ryan Flournoy, WR: He’s emerged as the new No. 3 wideout. A knee injury forced him to miss the Washington game.
Who should play
Joe Milton, QB: Give him a full game to help his development with some of the starters.
Jaydon Blue, RB: He’s played in just four games. With Williams and Malik Davis (eye) with health issues, Blue should start.
Phil Mafah, RB: The seventh-round pick is in his 21-day practice window period after recovering from a shoulder injury, so it’s probably time to activate him.
Josh Butler, CB: The West Mesquite native is also in the 21-day window period after knee surgery and deserves to play.
Hakeem Adeniji, T: If you’re looking for swing tackles for next season, let’s see more snaps from Adeniji.
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.