We’re now roughly three weeks and one preseason game into Dallas Cowboys training camp, and the roster competitions are starting to come into focus.
We released a roster projection just before the start of training camp, but now it it is time for an updated look now that we’ve seen these players on the field.
So with less than a month until the Cowboys kick off their season, here’s an updated projection of the 53-man roster:
QB (2)
Dak Prescott
Will Grier
I initially had Cooper Rush here, but Will Grier has simply been better throughout camp. The only advantage Rush has (and it’s a sizable one) is that we’ve seen him win an NFL game. Not only win an NFL game, but do it in a difficult road environment on prime time television.
If not for Rush’s performance against Minnesota last year, I don’t think this would even be a discussion.
RB (4)
Ezekiel Elliott
Tony Pollard
Rico Dowdle
Ryan Nall
*(Nall was cut after the publication of this article. Read more below).
This is the same group of running backs I had before camp, except I’ve added Dowdle in place of Malik Davis. I wasn’t sure how Dowdle would look coming off of a hip injury, but he’s showing no lasting effects, and has gotten several first team reps during camp.
Nall is the team’s only true fullback, and has missed some time due to a shoulder contusion, so I don’t feel super confident in that projection right now, but I know they had plans for him before he got hurt. The team could have Connor McGovern and Matt Farniok play the role of fullback if they wanted to keep Malik Davis in place of Nall.
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WR (7)
NOTE: James Washington projected to start on IR
CeeDee Lamb
Jalen Tolbert
Michael Gallup
Noah Brown
Simi Fehoko
Dennis Houston
KaVontae Turpin
There’s one substitution and one addition to the receiver group from my last roster projection.
The only substitution is Houston in place of Washington, who suffered a Jones fracture in his foot early in training camp. The Cowboys have steadily increased Houston’s reps with the first team since they arrived in Oxnard. Houston is an efficient route runner who has earned praise from Lamb for his releases, and the consistent trait you hear about Houston from the organization is that he’s always where he’s supposed to be on a play, which can sometimes prove challenging with young receivers.
Guys like TJ Vasher and Brandon Smith have had their moments at camp, but Houston, Brown, and Fehoko have separated themselves in the competition for a roster spot. Brown was held out of Saturday’s pre-season game, which seems to be an indication that he’s one of the starters until Gallup returns from his ACL injury.
The addition here, expanding the group from six receivers to seven, is due to the signing of Turpin. The Cowboys have said his primary role will be as a return man, but the team has increased his offensive opportunities in practice, using him in the slot and on jet sweeps.
TE (3)
Dalton Schultz
Sean McKeon
Jake Ferguson
Schultz, McKeon, and Ferguson were all on my initial projection, but I’ve reduced the group’s numbers by one, ultimately choosing to release Jeremy Sprinkle to keep KaVontae Turpin on the roster.
Sprinkle likely would have made the roster again if I kept four tight ends, but fourth year vet Ian Bunting would have been a tough cut, because I think he’s been a strong blocker in practice, and Sprinkle struggled in the first pre-season game. The only reason I would have had Sprinkle making it over Bunting is that Bunting suffered a neck injury during the joint practice with the Broncos last week. How long he’ll be out is unknown at this time, but missing time in the middle of a roster competition is always tough to overcome.
UDFA Peyton Hendershot has impressed with his athleticism, and the team likes him quite a bit, but I think the Cowboys believe they’ll be able to get him to the practice squad. His trajectory very well could play out similar to Blake Jarwin’s, who showed great athleticism as an undrafted free agent, and was elevated from the practice squad during his first season in order to prevent the Eagles from poaching him.
OL (9)
NOTE: Matt Waletzko projected to start on IR
Tyron Smith
Tyler Smith
Tyler Biadasz
Zack Martin
Terence Steele
Connor McGovern
Matt Farniok
Josh Ball
Isaac Alarcon
There are a handful of changes here from the last projection.
First, we’ve got one of the team’s fifth round selections, Waletzko, on IR to start the season. Waletzko has missed almost all of training camp with a shoulder injury, and Mike McCarthy has been a little cagey with details. Waletzko has been seen on the field at times doing some individual work, but he strikes me as an IR stash.
I’ve also cut Aviante Collins from my initial projection, as he’s struggled throughout camp.
In place of Waletzko and Collins I’ve added Ball and Alarcon. Ball had a nice start to camp, but has been a little up and down the last couple of weeks, possibly due to taking snaps at left tackle and working through the change. Alarcon is one of the hardest workers on the team, often out on the practice field before sunrise to work by himself on pass sets. Alarcon has guard/tackle flexibility, and has received praise from McCarthy in recent weeks.
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DL (9)
DeMarcus Lawrence
Dorance Armstrong
Dante Fowler
Sam Williams
Chauncey Golston
Osa Odighizuwa
John Ridgeway
Neville Gallimore
Trysten Hill
This is going to be the most difficult position to trim down, because of the amount of talent in the group, and the fact that it’s difficult to see the team going any lighter at linebacker and secondary than I already have them.
The lone change from my initial projection is that I’ve got Hill surviving the bubble in place of Carlos Watkins. While Hill still has occasional stretches of anonymity at practice, the 2019 second rounder has had a good showing overall, and seems to be finding better consistency, which is all the team has wanted from him.
Watkins, Quinton Bohanna, and Tarell Basham were difficult cuts, and will all likely end up on another team’s roster this season if they’re released. The Cowboys could try to salvage one of them by keeping 10 defensive linemen, but it would be tough to run lighter at other positions.
LB (5)
NOTE: Damone Clark projected to start on IR
Micah Parsons
Leighton Vander Esch
Jabril Cox
Anthony Barr
Devin Harper
Linebacker is one of only two position groups (tight end) where I kept fewer players than I did in my first projection, but more on that when we get to the safeties.
Parsons, Vander Esch, Cox, and Harper were all part of my initial projection, but with the addition of Barr to the group, that means the end of Luke Gifford. Gifford is entering his fourth year with the team, and is a special teams contributor, but the numbers are too tight.
Christian Sam and Malik Jefferson are two other players who have performed well during training camp, but Harper simply has more upside, and would be a claim risk around the league if he were released.
CB (6)
Trevon Diggs
Anthony Brown
Jourdan Lewis
Daron Bland
Nahshon Wright
Kelvin Joseph
This is the same corner group I had before camp started, but if the Cowboys were looking for an extra defensive lineman or linebacker, they could conceivably cut from this group. I think the capital they’ve invested here is just too steep to walk away from this year. Diggs, Brown, and Lewis are obviously making this team, so the only potential cuts would be Bland, Wright, and Joseph.
Bland was a fifth round pick in April, and has had a strong performance during training camp, and elevated his play even more in the first pre-season game. He isn’t going anywhere.
Wright struggled against the Broncos on Saturday, but he’s had a really good camp, and he might be the team’s best special teamer. Let’s not forget they also just spent a top 100 pick on him last spring.
Honestly, if I were a decision-maker for the Cowboys, I’d be lobbying for the release of Joseph. I would have lobbied to release Joseph long before training camp, following his questioning by police in connection with the March murder of Cameron Ray. But the team held the course with their 2021 second round pick. I don’t see why they’d give up now, but it might just be a case of delaying the inevitable.
There were long lines of people with the LSU and Kentucky football programs who would have – and in some cases did – advised the Cowboys against selecting Joseph, due to serious questions about his maturity and love of the game. The Cowboys dealt with those growing pains throughout last season, and it’s continued into his second year. I was told by two sources that Joseph shirked much of his offseason training, not really ramping up until late in the summer. It’s shown on the field, with consistent struggles during training camp. There have also been rumblings that he’s butted heads with members of the defensive coaching staff several times since arriving in Dallas.
I wouldn’t have Joseph on my football team, but this is about projecting what the Cowboys will do, and they haven’t given us any reason to believe that they’re going to move on from Joseph.
S (5)
Jayron Kearse
Malik Hooker
Donovan Wilson
Markquese Bell
Israel Mukuamu
The reason for reducing the linebacker count in my latest projection is because of Mukuamu.
Mukuamu has had an excellent training camp, and has received praise from passing game coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. in recent weeks. Mukuamu has the flexibility to play safety or corner, and had an eyebrow-raising rep against CeeDee Lamb in team period last week, where he lined up to cover Lamb in the slot, carried him to the opposite hash, and broke up the pass. That’s the type of play that stands out in the minds of talent evaluators.
Bell joins WR Dennis Houston as one of two undrafted free agents to make the team in my projection. Bell has had several strong practices, and figures to get occasional snaps on defense this season, as well as contribute on special teams. Bell was one of three UDFA (Houston, Mika Tafua) identified as a standout by Will McClay last week. The thought from many inside the Cowboys organization is that Bell can eventually take over for Kearse when his time with the team comes to a close.
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ST (3)
Brett Maher
Bryan Anger
Jake McQuaide
The only swap here is Maher in place of the recently released Jonathan Garibay.
Lirim Hajrullahu has had an accurate camp for the most part, but there’s simply not enough power in his leg to win the job, in my opinion. Hajrullahu has proven fairly reliable inside of 40-42 yards during training camp, but his range seems to max out around 50 yards, which is a problem for the Cowboys. Bones Fassel has shown an affinity for kickers with power. Greg Zuerlein was the apple of Fassel’s eye, and Garibay was his kicker of choice coming into camp. When things went south with Garibay, they added another kicker with a booming leg in Maher.
The Cowboys would begrudgingly go into the regular season with Hajrullahu as their kicker, but they’ve made it clear that they’re going to give a kicker with more power every opportunity to take the job. That’s why I think this ultimately ends with Maher returning as the team’s kicker, as he was in 2018 and most of 2019.
Tough Cuts
There are only so many roster spots available, and while the team can preserve several players on the practice squad, there’s always the possibility of other teams swooping in and adding them to their roster.
Here’s a list of players who I think the Cowboys would find difficult to cut in my roster projection. I think these players still have a shot (some better than others) of making the team, or may be used as trade capital to strengthen another position.
QB Cooper Rush
RB Malik Davis
WR TJ Vasher
TE Peyton Hendershot
TE Ian Bunting
TE Jeremy Sprinkle
OL Braylon Jones
DE Tarell Basham
DE Mika Tafua
DL Carlos Watkins
DT Quinton Bohanna
LB Luke Gifford
LB Storey Jackson
LB Christian Sam
LB Malik Jefferson
CB Kyron Brown
CB CJ Goodwin