The offseason program for the Dallas Cowboys was completed last week and the players are now off on their own for several weeks. It’s been a wild few months for the organization, who was more active than they’ve been in recent years when it comes to player acquisition.
With the team volunatary and mandatory offseaso sessions now over, here’s a look at how the 53-man roster might look. Things will inevitably change once training camp and preseason games begin, but for now here is an educated guess on who makes the Cowboys’ roster.
QB (2): Dak Prescott, Joe Milton
There shouldn’t be much surprise in these two taking the quarterback spots for the Cowboys. Prescottt is among the best QBs in the league and the team traded for Milton to be his backup.
There had been some buzz about Will Grier possibly being behind Prescott, but that would be a major surprise. Milton’s tools, athleticism, and work ethic will earn him the QB2 role.
RB (4): Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Hunter Luepke
Under former coach Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys traditionally kept three halfbacks, with a fullback or H-back on the roster. Fans will see if that changes under Brian Schottenheimer. Williams and Blue seem like locks, and Luepke does have a versatile skillset to stick on the roster.
That final running back spot appears like it’s coming down to veteran Miles Sanders or the rookie Mafah. Sanders has gotten some positive reviews over the last few weeks, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to keep him instead.
However, the Cowboys annually do some roster gymnastics to keep veteran players, so they could keep Sanders via the practice squad, which would ensure they hold onto the bruising first-year RB on the roster.
WR (6): CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks
The front office made one of the biggest moves in the NFL offseason by trading for Pickens to play alongside of Lamb. The trade gives the Cowboys another legitimate playmaker on offense, and someone who can stretch the field to open up the offense.
It’s a position group that looks infinitely better now than it did after the draft. The only question as it stands now is who will be the last WR to earn a roster spot? Brooks does some solid work on special teams, so he stays, but it will be interesting to watch Ryan Flournoy’s improvement in year 2, and there could be a surprise candidate or two to push for the roster.
TE (3): Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford
Keeping four RBs and six WRs means the Cowboys go lighter at tight end. Also, with John Stephens working back from another ACL injury, there might not be another player worthy of a spot.
Ferguson is the starter, but don’t be surprised if Spann-Ford takes over for Schoonmaker at TE2 after a big offseason.
Princeton Fant feels like a longshot, but if the team does keep four, Fant is likely the guy.
OL (9): Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele, Brock Hoffman, Robert Jones, Asim Richards, Ajani Cornelius
This could be one of the best training camp groups to watch. The top seven might be set, but the last two or three roster spots on the offensive line will be a close call. Jones adds experience as a starter, Richards had some nice moments last year and Hoffman proved to be a versatile backup.
Cornelius will have to beat out a few veterans (Saahdiq Charles and Hakeem Adeniji), but if he shows enough this summer, he could win a place on the 53.
DL (10): Marshawn Kneeland, Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Micah Parsons, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, Solomon Thomas, Jay Toia, Payton Turner
The defensive line has more strength of the edge than they do in the middle, so they could be on the lookout for defensive tackle help at some point. Absent of finding another DT, this feels like a strong bet for the group of 10.
Ezeiruaku is already making a strong impression.
LB (5): Jack Sanborn, Marist Liufau, Kenneth Murray, Shemar James, Damone Clark
This group looks light, but with the uptick in two LB sets, the Cowboys should be good with these five. James arrives as rookie to booster the special teams initially but could work his way into the rotation.
Clark struggled last year but might find new life in a new coaching staff. Veteran LB Buddy Johnson is the odd man out.
CB (6): DaRon Bland, Kaiir Elam, Shavon Revel, Caelen Carson, Israel Mukuamu, Andrew Booth
The Cowboys are hoping to get healthier at cornerback as the season goes on and could use another veteran to boost the depth chart after Bland and Elam, but without that, here’s what it could look like to start. The expectation is that Revel will be ready for Week 1, while Mukuamu looks more like a CB than safety right now, and Booth is a placeholder for someone to get healthy.
Also, expect the roster manipulation to get C.J. Goodwin on the roster to be the special teams ace.
Safety (5): Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark
This might be a position where an undrafted player forces his place onto the roster, and Clark could be the best option.
Thomas looks like he’s pushing for a bigger role on the defense this spring, while Bell returns after an injury knocked him out for eight games last year. The Cowboys re-upped with both, and they could have an impact on the 2025 defense.
Special Teams (3): Trent Sieg, Brandon Aubrey, Bryan Anger
Not much to this group, which includes perhaps the best kicker in the NFL in Aubrey.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 53-man roster prediction for the Dallas Cowboys after OTAs and minicamp
Reporting by Ben Grimaldi, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
