The Dallas Cowboys made multiple moves this week, including the addition of two defensive linemen , which paired with the Nahshon Wright trade, is bound to shake up the looks of the 53-man roster.
Of course, two preseason games are still on the schedule as well as crucial practices while many positional battles reach their climax. Ahead of this weekend's showdown against the Las Vegas Raiders, here's my latest roster projection.
Note: Players with one asterisk (*) represent 2024 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) represent 2024 undrafted free agents.
Quarterback (3)
IN: Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Trey Lance
OUT:
The Cowboys will likely carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster just like they did last year. It'll be up to Lance to prove in the final weeks of camp and preseason that he should be the one suiting up on gamedays. But right now, it looks like it'll be Rush backing up Dak.
Running back (4)
IN: Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, Royce Freeman, Hunter Luepke (FB)
OUT: Snoop Conner, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, Nate Peat**
The praise Royce Freeman received from Mike McCarthy keeps him as the fourth running back on the 53 but Deuce Vaughn can take it off from him if he shows up in the upcoming preseason games, which he's slated to do.
Wide receiver (6)
IN: CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, Jalen Cropper
OUT: Ryan Flournoy, David Durden, Racey McMath, Cam Johnson**, Tyron Billy-Johnson, Kelvin Harmon, Deontay Burnett
Ryan Flournoy is on the spotlight after a tough preseason opener and his roster spot is genuinely at risk even as a sixth-round rookie. Those are rarely cut in Dallas but Cropper appears to be ahead in the race.
Tight end (4)
IN: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, John Stephens Jr., Brevyn Spann-Ford**
OUT: Peyton Hendershot, Princeton Fant, Alec Holler**
The Cowboys going with six wide receivers and four tight ends will be tough to pull off but I'm betting on Spann-Ford's upside as a blocker to be enough to get him on the team. He and Stephens are both huge in size but different in styles and McCarthy does love tight ends.
Offensive line (9)
IN: Tyler Guyton *, Tyler Smith , Cooper Beebe*, Zack Martin, Terence Steele, T.J. Bass, Brock Hoffman, Asim Richards, Josh Ball
OUT: Chuma Edoga (IR) , Earl Bostick Jr., Dakoda Shepley, Matt Waletzko, Nathan Thomas*
I'm projecting Edoga to be put on IR on cutdown day as a designated to return player. With Thomas and Bostick dealing with injuries, I believe Ball to have a legit shot at the roster, in big part thanks to his G/T flexibility. The Cowboys need a better swing tackle at this stage, though.
EDGE (5)
IN: Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland*, Chauncey Golston, Carl Lawson
OUT: Viliami Fehoko Jr., Tyrus Wheat, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Sam Williams (IR) , Durrell Johnson
The Cowboys bringing in Carl Lawson makes things interesting as Golston and Fehoko might be battling for a roster spot alongside the likes of the young Tyrus Wheat and the recently-signed Muhammad. In this case, Fehoko Jr. is the odd man out.
Defensive tackle (4)
IN: Osa Odighizuwa (3T), Mazi Smith (NT), Jordan Phillips (NT), Justin Rogers* (NT),
OUT: Albert Huggins, Denzel Daxon**
Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer let it be known Golston and Fehoko Jr. won't much see time inside anymore so the team is in serious need of adding a three-tech. Nose tackle is a position that looks much better now that Jordan Phillips is on the team.
Linebacker (5)
IN: Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau*, Buddy Johnson
OUT: Jason Johnson**, Brock Mogenson**, Damien Wilson, Willie Harvey Jr., Darius Harris, Nick Vigil
Not a lot of surprises here but one thing is for sure: The Cowboys LB room is looking unbelievably deeper compared to last year's group. The fifth spot appears to be a wide open battle.
Cornerback (5)
IN: Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, Caelen Carson*, Andrew Booth Jr.
OUT: Eric Scott Jr., Josh Butler, Josh DeBerry**, Kemon Hall
Scott Jr. opened the door wide open in the preseason opener after struggles overshadowed a solid interception. I'll take a flyer on the newcomer, Andrew Booth Jr., but CB5 is up for grabs.
Safety (4)
IN: Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell
OUT: Israel Mukuamu, Sheldrick Redwine, Emany Johnson**, Julius Wood**
Thomas and Bell are two high-caliber backups that could be starting in the NFL. This is one of the best position groups on the team.
Specialists (4)
IN: Brandon Aubrey (K), Bryan Anger (P), Trent Sieg (LS), C.J. Goodwin (ace)
OUT: None
I'm done doubting C.J. Goodwin's chances at a roster spot and until proven otherwise, I think Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel makes sure he's on the roster every single year.
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