Examining the Cowboys roster bubble ahead of preseason finale

Examining the Cowboys roster bubble ahead of preseason finale

With their preseason finale on Saturday afternoon and roster cuts scheduled for Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys don’t have much time to

make personnel decisions. By this point, the majority of the roster is set in stone, and the remaining positions are very predictable.

However, there is still a bubble until the final cuts, and today we’ll look at which players could help or hinder their prospects.

We gave you 34 players to consider as “roster locks” a few weeks ago, before the preseason had started. Here is a simple reminder.

Offense: Prescott, Dowdle, Luepke, Lamb, Cooks, Tolbert, Ferguson, Schoonmaker, Guyton, Steele, Beebe, Hoffman, Martin, and T. Smith.

Defense: Parsons, Lawrence, Kneeland, Odighizuwa, M. Smith, Kendricks, Overshown, Clark, Liufau, Diggs, Bland, Lewis, Carson, Hooker,

Wilson, Thomas, and Bell

SPECIAL: Aubrey, Anger, and Sieg

That list is still intact, with a few additional names to add at this point, including WR KaVontae Turpin, WR Jalen Brooks, and OL Asim

Richards. One player, OL Chuma Edoga, will almost definitely start the year on injured reserve therefore doesn’t factor. We must also

account for the recent arrivals of experienced defensive end Carl Lawsons and defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Linval Joseph. That

would bring us to 40 positions ready to call, leaving only 13 for the remainder of the pack to compete for.

Even so, you can reserve a few spots for specific positions. We did not mention Cooper Rush or Trey Lance as locks at the time, leaving

open the chance that Dallas might only use one backup quarterback. That seems less likely now, thus both will probably make the 53. You also know that at least one more tight end, one or two more running backs, and players to fill out other positions will round out the roster.

So, what’s still up for grabs, and who stands a chance? Where do competitions still exist as we approach the final, critical days?

Running Back

It’s difficult to picture Ezekiel Elliott not making the Week 1 roster, especially after Dallas sat him out the first two preseason games like

other key players. But, with little positive to report from Zeke’s training camp, might Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn possibly force him out?

Vaughn will probably make it either way. He’s the Cowboys’ only true change-of-pace option among Dowdle, Zeke, and Freeman. Unless he

exhibits significant ball security issues or other issues against the Chargers, Vaughn makes sense to fill the backfield and add variety to the offense.

At that point, it’s really Elliott versus Freeman and I doubt we’d have imagined it a few months ago. When Dallas reunited with Zeke

shortly after signing Freeman, it seemed like one veteran was replacing the other. But if Freeman is outplaying Zeke, which most camp

reports have suggested, how far will the Cowboys’ loyalty go?

Wide Receiver

Will Dallas even keep a sixth receiver? Perhaps they don’t need to with Vaughn and John Stephens, a WR/TE hybrid. But if so, the battle

between Ryan Flournoy, Tyron Billy-Johnson, Jalen Cropper, and others may go right until the last practice snap.

Flournoy has a new rookie contract that will only be honored if Dallas maintains him on the roster. It’s a strong tiebreaker for him, but

wouldn’t necessarily carry him over another prospect if there’s a clear outweighing of talent. While all of the prospects have had their

moments, it’s hard to say one person has just been singularly shining over the rest.

Tight End

We’ve already highlighted Stephens, and while he’s a strong contender for third place, it’s difficult to say whether he’s separated himself

from Peyton Hendershot or Princeton Fant. Dallas may play four deep at TE while also having the option of employing FB Hunter Luepke

in specific formations, like they did this summer.

Keeping either a sixth WR or a fourth TE is likely one of the biggest decisions the Cowboys will have to make next week. If they trust

Stephens to do the hard job at TE, they’ll probably go with another receiver. If they don’t believe he can hold his own in the trenches, they

may assign Hendershot, Fant, or Brevyn Spann-Ford to more physical roles.

Offensive Line

With five starters and three essential backups in Hoffman, Bass, and Richards, there are currently eight players. They’re probably keeping at least one more, possibly two, so where does that leave everyone else?

 

Who you trust to play offensive tackle actually shapes the rest of the argument. If you’re content with Richards as the swing tackle until

Edoga recovers, with the option of moving Tyler Smith to LT in a pinch, you may concentrate on retaining a developmental prospect like

youngster Nathan Thomas. If you’re more concerned about LT depth, Josh Ball may be able to hang around for a little longer.

Defensive Line

With four seats reserved for Parsons, Lawrence, Kneeland, and Lawson, the rest is anyone’s guess. At least one more pass rusher is

expected, which might be Al-Quadin Muhammad or Tyrus Wheat. Chauncey Golston and Villiami Fehoko, who are better run defenders

with some inside ability on passing downs, will be evaluated based on their versatility. With the recent signings at defensive line, they’ll

probably lean more toward pass rushers.

Odighizuwa, Smith, Phillips, and Joseph are all anticipated to sign, giving you a guaranteed four at DT. If there is a fifth player, it will most

likely be rookie Justin Rogers, who is still developing. However, if they believe Rogers will make the practice squad, that may allow them to

go longer at defensive end.

Linebacker

This one might be all wrapped up. With Kendricks, Overshown, Clark, and Liufau as the clear top four, and indications that Parsons may be

used more at his official position than in previous years, they may not need to maintain one more. But if a fifth true LB does make the

roster, Willie Harvey Jr. appears to be running away with it thus far. Veteran Damien Wilson has also made a case, so this one should come

down to special teams performance.

Defensive backs

There are eight guaranteed positions between the top four cornerbacks and safety candidates, leaving little room for the other contenders.

Guys with CB/S flex like Israel Mukuamu and Josh Butler may be difficult to replace, but Eric Scott is still a promising young prospect.

Dallas is also just starting to know Andrew Booth Jr. following the recent trade, and his strong performance against the Raiders likely

improved his job security. One more pure CB will most likely be preserved between Scott and Booth, with a slot reserved for a player who

can also play safety.

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