We are near the end of Training Camp in Oxnard – with only two scheduled practices remaining. As another thread says, practice is more important for making the team than preseason games. Players may be able to lose a roster spot based on failures in the preseason games, but the coaches will rely mostly on the performances in practice to pick the players that make the team. Through almost 3 weeks of practices, here is my preliminary idea of what players have made the roster so far, and what players still have much to do to make the team. After cutting place kicker Tristan Vizcaino, the Cowboys currently have 89 players remaining on the roster. Since Jourdan Lewis is likely to start the season on the PUP list, they must cut 35 players to get to the 53 man roster, and then they can sign up to 10 players to the practice squad after they clear waivers.
Note: The roster projection doesn’t include any players not currently on the roster. The Cowboys habitually add a player or two not on the roster, so things may change near the bottom of the roster, but we won’t speculate on who those players might be.
SPECIAL TEAMS – 3 roster spots
- PK Brandon Aubrey
- P Bryan Anger
- LS Trent Sieg
OFFENCE – 25 roster spots
- QB – Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush (2)
- Dak Prescott is entrenched at starter.
- Cooper Rush’s performance last year, and his new contract have him entrenched as QB2.
- Will Grier will definite be on the Practice Squad as a 3rd QB option. Grier has improved, but the Cowboys need the roster spot for other positions.
- RB – Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn (4)
- Tony Pollard is the starter.
- Rico Dowdle has been a coach’s favorite the last two years, but injuries have derailed his first two seasons. But Rico is having a great camp, and barring another injury, Rico the 220 lb. replacement for Zeke Elliott in short yardage situations.
- Malik Davis showed a year ago that he can be a productive back in the NFL. It was criminal that he didn’t play in the playoffs against the 49ers. Blame the ego of former OC Kellen Moore for refusing to use Davis when Pollard went down. Davis is also a key special teams member.
- Deuce Vaughn was a PR coup in the draft, and he will make the team. But he may be destined to spend a lot of time on the inactive roster in 2023.
- Hunter Luepke will make the practice squad and get a chance to develop.
- He entered camp as the favorite to win the RB2 job, but former top 40 pick Ronald Jones hasn’t shown that he’s better than either Dowdle or Davis, and the Cowboys aren’t going to cut 6th round pick Deuce Vaughn. Jones’ suspension and his injury in training camp don’t help him either, so Jones will be a roster cut.
- WR – CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert, Kavontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks (6)
- CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup are easily the top 3 WR’s on the team.
- Jalen Tolbert has blossomed in his 2nd season, and is finally showing why he was a 3rd round pick.
- Kavontae Turpin may see some limited snaps on offense in certain situations, but his primary role will be punt and kick returner, which earned him Pro Bowl honors last season.
- It is pretty rare for a 7th round pick to be so obviously better than his competition, but Jalen Brooks has really shined in training camp, and may even challenge Tolbert for the WR4 spot. That’s not a knock on Tolbert, but is a statement on how surprising Brooks has been in training camp. He’s clearly a notch above the others players.
- The Cowboys will likely keep 1-2 WR’s on the practice squad, and the early favorites are Simi Fehoko, Tyron Johnson, Dennis Houston or Jalen Moreno-Cropper.
- Jose Barbon, Dontario Drummond, and David Durden are destined to be cut from the team.
- TE – Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Peyton Hendershot (3)
- Jake Ferguson, as expected, will be the starting TE1 for the season opener against New York. Ferguson was drafted a year ago to be the replacement for Dalton Schultz, and in 2023, that is exactly what he will be.
- Luke Schoonmaker is bigger and faster than all the other tight ends on the roster, and was an outstanding blocker at Michigan. He will be the other starting TE2 when the season begins, and like Ferguson a year ago, will likely start 7-8 games. But Schoonmaker has the potential to take away the top position from Ferguson as the season progresses.
- Peyton Hendershot is not having a great training camp, which may put him at some risk of losing a roster spot later in the season or a year from now. But the coaches trust him to run routes, although he sucks at blocking.
- Sean McKeon is the opposite of Peyton Hendershot. The coaches trust him to block, and if the Cowboys keep 4 tight ends, he’ll likely be the 4th. But he’s not assured of a roster spot. Whether he gets one is likely dependent upon how much depth the Cowboys choose to keep on the offensive line. There is a very good chance that even if he’s initially on the practice squad, he’ll get promoted to the 53 man roster during the season.
- John Stephens, Jr. was drafted as a WR, but the Cowboys have converted him to TE. He is a Practice Squad candidate they would like to keep, and give him a chance next year to replace Peyton Hendershot on the roster if he develops well.
- Princeton Fant and Seth Green are destined to be cut from the team.
- OT – Tyron Smith, Terence Steele, Chuma Edoga, Matt Waletzko (4)
- Tyron Smith and Terence Steele are the starters
- Chuma Edoga will be the swing tackle if he returns from his knee injury on Thursday. If Edoga is out for the season, the Cowboys may want to call on Jason Peters, as they did a year ago. He still lives in East Texas, and may be willing to come off the couch at age 41 to help the Cowboys. If Peters wants to stay in retirement, the Cowboys will have to look for another veteran to fill the role of swing tackle.
- Matt Waletzko was injured his entire rookie season, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’s very much still a developmental player at the offensive Tackle position. Although he’ll likely make the team, he’s destined for a lot of time on the inactive player list, as Tyler Smith will be the primary back-up OT if Edoga is out for the year. Waletzko hasn’t shown he’s worthy of getting game reps during the season. Hopefully, he’ll continue to develop.
- Earl Bostick, Jr. is a practice Squad candidate.
- Alex Taylor-Prioleau is destined to be cut.
- OG – Zack Martin, Tyler Smith, Josh Ball, Asim Richards (4)
- Zack Martin will resolve his contract dispute and return to the Cowboys before the season begins. Jerry won’t allow the team to enter the season without the best player they have on offense.
- Tyler Smith has been dominant at Left Guard in training camp.
- Josh Ball has been the primary replacement for Zack Martin in training camp, and the coaches have much more confidence in him than the fans
- Asim Richards, like fellow 5th round pick Matt Waletzo, is the developmental player on the roster at Guard. He will also spend the majority, if not all, of the season on the inactive list.
- TJ Bass is another practice squad candidate, although he still has a chance to beat out Asim Richards for the right to be inactive on game days.
- OC Tyler Biadasz Matt Farniok (2)
- Tyler Biadasz, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, is the entrenched Pro Bowl starter. (But the Cowboys may put Center high on their draft priority list in 2024.)
- Matt Farniok is a former 7th round pick who has garnered some real game playing time, but has been a disappointment at guard in training camp. Nevertheless, the Cowboys still need a back-up center, and Farniok is likely better than the other options. The Cowboys could seriously look for another option at back-up center after the roster cuts in September. They are pretty thin here.
- Brock Hoffman has been getting most of the 2nd team snaps at Center during training camp, but it’s hard to know if the Cowboys would prefer him over Farniok.
- Alec Lindstrom was on the practice squad last season, but the little brother of the Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom will likely be cut from the Cowboys.
DEFENSE – 25 roster spots
- DE – Demarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Sam Williams, Dante Fowler, Jr., Chauncey Golston, Viliami Fehoko (6)
- Demarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong are the starters, although we all know that Micah Parsons will get a lot of snaps at LDE.
- Sam Williams will be pressing Dorance Armstrong for snaps. The Cowboys would love to see Williams earn the right replace Armstrong, who is in the final year of his 2-year contract, during the season.
- Dante Fowler, Jr. has revived his career in Dallas under Dan Quinn, and is a valuable rotation player behind Lawrence
- Golston is listed at DE, but he may play more at DT behind Osa Odighizuwa in games
- Viliami Fehoko has had a quiet camp, but as with fellow 4th round pick Dorance Armstrong, the Cowboys will give him a roster spot and time to develop.
- Isaiah Land and Ben Banogu are practice squad candidates
- Durrell Johnson, one of the 30-visit players, will be cut.
- DT – Johnathan Hankins, Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Neville Gallimore (4)
- Veteran Johnathan Hankins has been lighting up training camp, and has earned the right to be the starter against the Giants on opening day.
- Osa Odighizuwa is easily the best 3-tech DT on the roster, and is a candidate for having a break out year playing beside Hankins and Smith.
- Mazi Smith is developing fast, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Cowboys eventually go to a 3-man rotation at DT of Hankins, Odighizuwa and Smith at DT, with Golston and Lawrence shifting inside on passing downs to rotate with Odighizuwa.
- Neville Gallimore needs to revert to his more natural 3-tech position for the Cowboys to get the value of their 3rd round pick out of him. But with both DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston kicking inside during passing plays, it is still going to be hard for Gallimore to find snaps. If Gallimore doesn’t earn a roster spot, it is very unlikely the Cowboys will keep him on the practice squad.
- Quinton Bohanna is likely a cut candidate with the additions of Johnathan Hankins and Mazi Smith in the past year.The Cowboys just cannot justify 3 roster spots for nose tackles. Bohanna is likely to be offered a spot on the practice squad, in case either Hankins or Smith gets injured.
- Isaac Alarcon will be cut from the team.
- LB – Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch, Damone Clark, Jabril Cox, DeMarvion Overshown (5)
- Micah Parsons will make the team as a LB, but spend most of his time at DE
- Leighton Vander Esch had a very good season last year, and is the starting MLB.
- Damone Clark was a big surprise last season, coming back early from off-season surgery on his neck. He’s been stellar in training camp, and will be plenty of starts at WLB in 2023.
- Jabril Cox is finally healthy, and by all accounts is having a good training camp this year. The Cowboys patience with him may pay off in 2023. But Cox is not guaranteed a roster spot if Jefferson or Harper outplay him in preseason games, and take this spot from him.
- DeMarvion Overshown has flashed all over the field in training camp, and will see a lot of playing time in 2023 as a back-up LB.
- If the Cowboys choose to part ways with Neville Gallimore, LB Devin Harper may be the winner of the final roster spot. It really comes down to whether the Cowboys feel they need more depth at LB, with Parsons spending most of his time rushing the passer. Harper has had a very good training camp, and has done a lot to earn a roster spot. It might surprise people if the Cowboys keep Harper over another player. But at this point, he’s a practice squad candidate.
- Malik Jefferson has also had a very good training camp, and the Cowboys may have to choose between him and Harper. Jefferson is the veteran with real game experience. If the Cowboys cut him, he’s likely to be immediately claimed off waivers by another team.
- Tyrus Wheat is likely to be cut, despite his very good college career. Don’t be shocked if he winds up on another team’s practice squad, or even stays with the Cowboys.
- CB – Trevon Diggs, Stephon Gilmore, DaRon Bland, Eric Scott, Jr. Nahshon Wright, Kelvin Joseph (6)
- Trevon Diggs, Stephone Gilmore and DaRon Bland are the top 3 cornerbacks on the team.
- Rookie Eric Scott, Jr. has been a big surprise in training camp, and has earned a roster spot.
- Similarly, Nahshon Wright appears to have taken the next step at CB, and is likely to get a roster spot.
- Former 2nd round pick Kelvin Joseph has shifted to the nickel back position, and he’s likely to earn a temporary roster spot, while Jourdan Lewis continues to heal up. But once Lewis is healthy, Joseph could be a mid-season cut – unless he proves to be so valuable on special teams that he cannot be replaced. Joseph may be offered a spot on the practice squad if he clears waivers when demoted mid-season. Both Gilmore and Lewis are in the final seasons of their deals, so the Cowboys may want to continue to develop Joseph and bring him back next season.
- Jourdan Lewis will likely start the season on the PUP list. But when he’s healthy, he’ll be promoted, and share time with Bland at the nickel CB spot.
- C.J. Goodwin is replaceable on special teams with all the recent draft picks, and Kelvin Joseph can give the Cowboys both special teams prowess and back up Bland at the nickel corner spot if needed. But Goodwin in likely to be picked up by another team very quickly.
- Josh Butler, DeAngelo Mandell and Myles Brooks will be cut from the team.
- S – Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse, Donovan Wilson, Israel Mukuamu (4)
- Malik Hooker just received a big 3 year contract extension, which keeps him on the Cowboys another 4 seasons.
- Jayron Kearse has been a key player on this defense.
- Donovan Wilson signed a big off-season contract which locks him down with the Cowboys through the 2025 season.
- Israel Mukuamu has played well at safety, and last year he showed the flexibility to play cornerback also, if necessary.
- Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas have both played well in training camp, and are practice squad candidates.
- Tyler Coyle and Sheldrick Redwine are destined to be cut from the team.
Practice Squad candidates (10) – QB Will Grier, RB Hunter Luepke, WR Simi Fehoko, WR Jalen Moreno Cropper, WR Dennis Houston, TE Sean McKeon, TE John Stephens, Jr., OT Earl Bostick, Jr., OG TJ Bass, C Brock Hoffman, DE Ben Banogu, DE Isaiah Land, DT Quinton Bohanna, LB Devin Harper, LB Tyrus Wheat, S Marquese Bell, S Juanyeh Thomas.
The Cowboys can only keep 10 players on the practice squad, and there will be some players worth of spots that won’t get one. It will come down to what positions the Cowboys need to keep on the practice squad, and if other teams poach some of the players who are cut by the Cowboys.
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