Thirty-three days after the Dallas Cowboys landed in Oxnard, Calif., they walked off the field at AT&T Stadium on Saturday with the clock ticking. Teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT. The front office and coaches have a full camp worth of practices and three preseason games to utilize for their evaluation.
The top of each position hasn’t changed much from what it looked like at the start of spring, let alone training camp. However, there are interesting decisions to make with Dallas’ depth. Most players the Cowboys have had in camp will remain in the building — 53 make the final roster and 16 join the practice squad.
As an international player, defensive tackle Denzel Daxon carries a roster exemption. That’s irrelevant if he makes the 53-man roster (he’s not expected to). If the Cowboys want to keep Daxon, they can develop him on the practice squad without counting him as one of 16 practice-squad players.
The usual caveats for this time of year apply. Many teams engage in roster gymnastics for cutdown day to work with the rules and salary cap. Keep in mind when seeing the transactions take shape Tuesday that a new NFL rule allows teams to designate two players for injured reserve with the intention of returning during the season. Previously, those players had to be on the initial roster for one day before being moved to IR. The Cowboys could apply this to DaRon Bland and Chuma Edoga.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at what the Cowboys’ 53-man roster could look like when they take the field in Cleveland to open the regular season in two weeks.
THAT’S GAME
📺 | CBS LA + Estrella + NFLN pic.twitter.com/NmHJDtIQeH
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 24, 2024
Quarterback (3)
Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Trey Lance
Jerry Jones guaranteed Lance a spot on the 53-man roster this week. Again, Lance’s inclusion should not come as a surprise, if for no other reason than the fact that he carries $5 million guaranteed. Lance ended his preseason showcase against the Chargers, completing 33 of 49 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown. He made some good throws and showed off his running ability with 90 yards on 11 carries, including a nice 46-yard touchdown run. However, he also threw five interceptions, which were impossible to ignore. After the game, Jones reinforced his belief in Lance.
“What you’re looking for is, is the arrow going up?” Jones said. “It’s going up dramatically, really, in every practice and every game. … We’re planning on him being on our roster, for sure.”
Overall, Lance didn’t do enough to take the No. 2 job from Rush. If Prescott went down for a few games, Rush has shown he can steer the ship while Lance still carries questions. If Prescott went down for an extended period of time, the Cowboys could give Lance a long look.
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Running back (4)
Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke
The Cowboys have embraced a running back-by-committee approach for the season, and Dowdle should get a shot to be the lead. He had a solid showing at the end of last year in limited opportunity. Elliott is a lock, serving the role of a bruiser and pass protector. Luepke is the do-it-all fullback who has added tight end to his role this camp.
The intrigue here is Royce Freeman or Vaughn. Freeman is the bigger, more downhill runner. Vaughn is the small, shifty back with elusiveness. Both have special teams value on different units. Who gets the final spot could come down to what role the Cowboys envision for the third player of the committee, and who they could best slip through the league and add to the practice squad. After being hampered by injuries for a while, Vaughn has again put together a strong preseason (nine carries, 53 yards Saturday).
Tight end (3)
Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, John Stephens Jr.
There is plenty of depth in the tight end room, with six players the Cowboys would feel comfortable with having on the 53-man roster. Ferguson is No. 1 and Schoonmaker — last year’s second-round pick — needs to stay healthy and get a good look. Stephens is a big body who can be a red zone target.
Peyton Hendershot has been the No. 2 in Dallas in recent years but didn’t do anything to stand out this summer. The Cowboys had high hopes for Brevyn Spann-Ford as an undrafted rookie free agent, and while he has the physical tools, he can clearly use more development. Princeton Fant is worth keeping around for a potential future role.
trey floats it to flo @RyanNumba9 hauls it in!
📺: #LACvsDAL on CBS 11
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/trqtlMKLUK pic.twitter.com/qLtHYn0UlO— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 24, 2024
Wide receiver (6)
CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy
There’s no ambiguity with the top five, aside from the contract situation with the No. 1, which continues to linger. Brooks had a great camp and showed he can be involved as a depth guy in the passing game. Turpin has done a little bit of everything, from making plays in the passing game, running jet sweeps and, of course, serving as the team’s primary returner on special teams.
The final spot can go a few different ways. After dealing with inconsistencies and minor health issues, Flournoy had a solid camp. The fact he’s one of the team’s 2024 draft selections gives him an edge. Jalen Cropper was the most consistent depth receiver on the practice fields, but it didn’t carry over much to the preseason games. Tyron Billy-Johnson got off to a blazing start to camp, and had a solid showing overall, but didn’t force his way to the roster. If the team chooses to carry six receivers, the final spot is between Flournoy, Cropper and Billy-Johnson.
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Offensive line (9)
Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Zack Martin, Terence Steele, Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, Asim Richards, Matt Waletzko
The top eight guys are pretty much set in stone, and Edoga will be in the mix as a top depth guy when he returns. The bottom of the depth chart is a numbers game: Do the Cowboys keep nine or 10 guys? Waletzko and Josh Ball are candidates, along with 2024 seventh-round pick Nathan Thomas.
Defensive line (9)
Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence. Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Marshawn Kneeland, Linval Joseph, Jordan Phillips, Carl Lawson, Chauncey Golston
Three of the guys here weren’t on the team two weeks ago when the Cowboys played their first preseason game in Los Angeles. Phillips and Lawson were very late camp additions, but both should be on the roster. On Tuesday, Jones was transparent that the Cowboys were not done adding along the defensive line. The team signed the veteran Joseph, who has familiarity with Mike Zimmer, soon after that.
Sam Williams’ loss is a sore spot for this group. The top five guys will be looked upon to do most of the heavy lifting. Outside of Odighizuwa, the interior has either unproven talent or proven talent that might be on the other side of the hill. The ninth spot (Golston) doesn’t carry a ton of conviction with it.
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Linebackers (6)
Eric Kendricks, DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, Damone Clark, Willie Harvey, Buddy Johnson
This is set to be the most improved position on the team from last year. Kendricks, Overshown and Liufau are all fresh blood injected into a group that had trouble fielding true linebackers last season. The depth is also solid. The margin between the last linebacker or two on the roster and the first few on the practice squad will be slim.
Johnson, in particular, had a fantastic preseason finale. There are numerous factors to consider, including special teams contributions and how the team views the numbers at each position. For example, with Bland’s injury, the sixth linebacker seems to be a better player than the fifth or sixth cornerback. If the team rolls with five linebackers, it’ll be a tough decision between Harvey and Johnson.
Defensive back (9)
Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Caelen Carson, Israel Mukuamu, Eric Scott, Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell
The two pairs of safeties (Hooker-Wilson and Thomas-Bell) are pretty much locked in. Julius Wood has had an underrated camp and could have an interesting future. The top four cornerbacks are easy to determine, when healthy. Obviously, Bland’s foot injury and absence for six to eight weeks changes things out the gate. The last spot or two hold some ambiguity. Mukuamu should make it — he has had a good camp, carries a lot of tangibles and has flexibility between safety and cornerback.
Andrew Booth had a rough outing against the Chargers, left chasing on a long touchdown run and then getting beat one-on-one by former Cowboy Simi Fehoko on a long touchdown pass. Kemon Hall has had a good camp, and had the 69-yard pick-six last week, but was held out of the preseason finale due to injury. Scott has had an uneven camp but the Cowboys have had high hopes for him. Perhaps Scott gets the nod but in the wake of Bland’s injury, but the depth is being severely tested.
After the game, Jones dismissed the notion that the Cowboys would look externally for help.
“Not at all,” Jones said when asked if the team would explore external upgrades at cornerback. “Not in any way. No. Not at all. The good news is that we’ve got some guys that have really showed well in camp. We won’t be looking at all.”
GO DEEPER
Cowboys’ DaRon Bland (foot) likely out 6-8 weeks
Special teams (4)
Kicker Brandon Aubrey, punter Bryan Anger, long snapper Trent Sieg, C.J. Goodwin
There’s no doubt about the first three guys, who are inked into their roles as kicker, punter/holder and long snapper. Goodwin has been the team’s special teams ace and provides legitimate value, as a playmaker and a leader. He’s one of John Fassel’s favorite players. If the team really wants to bolster another position, his roster spot could come into conversation but that feels unlikely.
(Top photo of Ryan Flournoy: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
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