The Cowboys have also added 7 veteran starters since 2021 via trade or free agency (Anger, Sieg, Hooker, Kearse, Hankins, Gilmore, Cooks), 4 in the past 10 months alone. That is over 75% of the overall roster since Mike McCarthy took over – including 7 new offensive starters (Smith, Biadaz, Steele, Lamb, Cooks, Ferguson, Schoonmaker), 9 new defensive starters (Diggs, Kearse, Hooker, Gilmore, Bland, Clark, Parsons, Odighizuwa and Hankins) and 3 new special teams starters (Anger, Sieg, Turpin).
Only 5 starters remain on offense from before McCarthy (Prescott, Smith, Martin, Pollard, Gallup), and only 3 starters remain from before Quinn on defense (Wilson, Lawrence, Vander Esch). All of the Specialists are new in the last 2-1/2 years. As a result, the Cowboys have led the league in scoring offense over the past two seasons, and also led the league in turnovers generated by the defense for two consecutive years – a far cry from the 32nd ranked historically bad defense of 2020. This is why, despite the clamor of the national media, Mike McCarthy’s job is not in jeopardy this season.
2020 Rookie Class – 4 starters, 2 backup players; 5 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro
- WR CeeDee Lamb – starter, 2x Pro Bowl, 2nd team All-Pro 2022
- CB Trevon Diggs – starter, 2x Pro Bowl, 1st team All-Pro 2021
- DT Neville Gallimore – backup
- FS Reggie Robinson – cut
- C Tyler Biadasz – starter, Pro Bowl
- DE Bradlee Anae – cut
- QB Ben Dinucci – cut
- OT Terence Steele – starter
- RB Rico Dowdle – backup
- TE Sean McKeon – cut
- OL/DL Isaac Alarcon – cut
- Practice Squad eligible
- TE Sean McKeon
- Isaac Alarcon
2021 Rookie Class – 2 starters, 4 backup players, 1 player injured reserve; 2x Pro Bowl, 2x All-Pro
- LB Micah Parsons – starter, 2x Pro Bowl, 2x 1st team All-Pro
- CB Kelvin Joseph – traded
- DT Osa Odighizuwa – starter
- DT Chauncey Golston – backup
- CB Nahshon Wright – backup
- LB Jabril Cox – cut
- OG Josh Ball – injured reserve
- WR Simi Fehoko – cut
- DT Quinton Bohanna – cut
- FS Israel Mukuamu – backup
- OG Matt Farniok – cut
- S Tyler Coyle – cut
- Practice Squad eligible
- LB Jabril Cox
- WR Simi Fehoko
- DT Quinton Bohanna
- OG Matt Farniok
- S Tyler Coyle
2022 Rookie Class – 5 starters, 7 backup players; 1 Pro Bowl
- OT Tyler Smith – starter
- DE Sam Williams – backup
- WR Jalen Tolbert – backup
- TE Jake Ferguson – starter
- OT Matt Waletzko – backup
- CB DaRon Bland – starter
- LB Damone Clark – starter
- DT John Ridgeway – cut
- LB Devin Harper – backup
- KR Ka Vontae Turpin – starter, Pro Bowl
- TE Peyton Hendershot – backup
- S/LB Markquese Bell – backup
- FS Juanyeh Thomas – backup
- RB Malik Davis – cut
- WR Dennis Houston – cut
- C Brock Hoffman – cut
- OT Alex Taylor – cut
- WR Dontario Drummond – cut
- C Alec Lindstrom – cut
- Practice Squad eligible
- RB Malik Davis
- WR Dennis Houston
- C Brock Hoffman
- OT Alex Taylor
- WR Dontario Drummond
- C Alec Lindstrom
2023 Rookie Class – 1 starter, 8 backup players, 2 players injured reserve
- DT Mazi Smith – backup
- TE Luke Schoonmaker – starter
- LB DeMarvion Overshown – injured reserve
- DL Viliami Fehoko – backup
- OT Asim Richards – backup
- CB Eric Scott, Jr. – backup
- RB Deuce Vaughn – backup
- WR Jalen Brooks – backup
- OG T.J. Bass – backup
- FB Hunter Luepke – backup
- TE John Stephens, Jr. – injured reserve
- WR David Durdin – injured reserve
- WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper – cut
- TE Princeton Fant – cut
- OT Earl Bostick, Jr. – cut
- DE Isaiah Land – cut
- DE Tyrus Wheat – cut
- LB Durell Johnson – cut
- CB Myles Brooks – cut
- CB Josh Butler – cut
- CB D’Angelo Mandell – cut
- Practice Squad eligible
- WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper
- TE Princeton Fant
- OT Earl Bostick, Jr.
- DE Isaiah Land
- DE Tyrus Wheat
- LB Durell Johnson
- CB Myles Brooks
- CB Josh Butler
- CB D’Angelo Mandell
