Dallas City News

Two preseason games are in the books and the Dallas Cowboys are gaining a better sense of what their 53-man roster might look like for the 2024 season. A handful of spots are up for grabs, but most of the roster is set. Today, we’ll examine how each position group is shaping out and what battles still exist.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK (3): Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, and Trey Lance

The only real question here is has Trey Lance done enough to become the team’s new QB2 where they could release Cooper Rush knowing they still have a safe floor? While we have seen some improvement from the Cowboys’ young developmental quarterback, it might be a little premature to make the switch right now. Suffice it to say, keeping three is the safer play here.

RUNNING BACK (3): Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, and Hunter Luepke

The running back room is an underwhelming group. Rico Dowdle is the team’s most athletic runner, but last season was his first healthy year in the league. Counting on him is risky business. And without question, he’ll need some help taking on the workload. Ezekiel Elliott knows a little something about that, but it’s hard to know what they could get out of him after several years of statistical decline. Regardless, these two appear locked, while everything else is wide open. Royce Freeman could slide in and make the team, but he also could be a safe stash on the practice squad. The team may also be scouting other teams’ RB depth looking for a last-minute add. And while fans still love some Deuce, he doesn’t make this list as his size and limited flexibility diminish his value.

TIGHT END (3): Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, and John Stephens Jr.

All three of these guys are safe and nobody else is flashing much to join them. The Cowboys could roll with an additional tight end if Brevyn Spann-Ford, Princeton Fant, or that Peyton Hendershot guy warrants keeping, but they should be equally available on the practice squad should someone get hurt.

WIDE RECEIVER (6): CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, and Ryan Flournoy

“We like our guys” is the theme of this group as all the recent draft investments could stick around. There are a handful of other guys who are pet cats depending on which fan you ask, but none of them have shown enough to take a spot from these other guys who have flashed something and are already the scout’s pets.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Tyler Smith, Zack Martin, Tyler Guyton, Terence Steele, Cooper Beebe, Asim Richards, Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, and Josh Ball

Most of this seems set. Chuma Edoga would be on here if he wasn’t hurt. Expect the team to bring him back at some point. Josh Ball’s solid performance recently coupled with his position flex should land him one of the final spots. The Matt Waletzko experiment continues fading and rookie Nathan Thomas never got started and might be trending toward the practice squad.

Total offensive players: 24

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE END (5): Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland, Carl Lawson, and Chauncey Golston

If Sam Williams wasn’t hurt, this would be a position group that would create excitement, but he is so those carrots are cooked. The team now hopes to find some quality contributors to go with their two edge-rushing stars. Rookie Marshawn Kneeland has looked good in camp, but the expectations for his year one impact should be tempered. Hopefully, veteran Carl Lawson can be that missing piece. Tyrus Wheat and Al-Quadin Muhammad remain dark horse candidates if Lawson doesn’t work out.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (4): Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Jordan Phillips, and Junior Fehoko

The Cowboys traded for Phillips and immediately got stronger in the middle. He should fit nicely rotating with Mazi Smith at the nose tackle position. Odighizuwa is the team’s best defensive tackle. After those three, it gets a little dicey. Fehoko hasn’t lived up to expectations and it wouldn’t be hard to beat him out for that final roster spot, but there’s just nobody putting up much of a fight. Seventh-round draft pick Justin Rogers has an outside chance as does veteran free agent Albert Huggins, but right now we give the nod to last year’s fourth-round draft investment.

LINEBACKER (5): Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, and Willie Harvey Jr.

Four linebackers are locked in as Kendricks and the three youngsters lead the way. The team needs at least one more and USFL’er Willie Harvey Jr. is the front runner. Buddy Johnson isn’t too far behind Harvey Jr. so the dust hasn’t settled on the linebacker position yet.

CORNERBACK (6): Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, Caelen Carson, Eric Scott Jr., and Andrew Booth

This is where things start to get crazy. The main four are locks with Diggs, Bland, Lewis, and the rookie Carson making the team. Second-year corner Eric Scott Jr. struggled last year but looks better and this trajectory should keep the team interested. They also took a chance on former second-round pick Andrew Booth who they got in a trade with Minnesota (for Nahshon Wright), so they will want to see where that goes. That could leave Josh Butler in the cold for the second straight year even though he’s been playing okay. And don’t sleep on Kemon Hall. Just like on the football field, he can come out of nowhere and surprise some people.

SAFETY (5): Malik Hooker, Markquese Bell, Donovan Wilson, Juanyeh Thomas, and Julius Wood

The team may have some tough decisions ahead regarding playing time, but they have a solid core of four that will all make the team. That leaves two players fighting for one of those last spots – Israel Mukuamu and Julius Wood. All things being equal, the tie goes to Wood because of player control as he is a rookie UDFA who is just getting started. Sorry, Izzy.

Total defensive players: 25

SPECIAL TEAMS (4): Brandon Aubrey, Bryan Anger, Trent Sieg, and C.J. Goodwin

There is nothing to see here as it’s the band of usual suspects. There’s always a chance that C.J. Goodwin doesn’t make the team, but we’ve been suggesting that for years and know how that plays out.

Here is a layout of the 53-man roster projections…

And here is how the players all stack up against each other. With two players within the 53 injured, the cutoff line to make the team is actually at 55.