In order to win in the NFL, a team needs three things. They need top-line talent spread throughout the roster. They need a coaching staff able to maximize that talent. Finally, they need depth to withstand injuries at both their strongest and weakest positions.
It’s in the final two categories that the Dallas Cowboys seem to have a problem, with the book still out on whether the combination of Brian Schottenheimer at head coach and first-year DC Christian Parker can command their troops to the promise land. But year over year, it’s been proven the Cowboys haven’t had enough depth to compete. Are things any different in 2026?
Training camp will reveal how things are trending, but ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took on an intriguing exercise to find the best depth around the league. Barnwell built an all backup, 53-man roster in hopes of finding enough buried talent that the team would at least be competitive. In doing so, he named two Cowboys to the squad, along with two former Cowboys.
As a starter for his squad, Barnwell selected Cowboys reserve guard, TJ Bass.
An undrafted free agent, Bass has started 10 games over the past three years for the Cowboys and would be a starter on a fair number of teams around the league. In Dallas, he is stuck behind the best guard duo in football with Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker in the lineup.
Bass was given a second-round tender with a base salary well over $5 million this spring, indicating how vital he is to the plans of Schottenheimer and OC Klayton Adams. He’s likely to be a starter somewhere in the league in 2027 and the Cowboys should be in line for a solid compensatory pick.
As a reserve, Barnwell nabbed an inexpensive free agent signee, safety PJ Locke.
Locke was probably stretched as a starter for the Broncos in 2024 and might be best as a third safety. But as a player in his prime with starting experience on a very good defense, he’s going to be a starter for this team.
Locke, who played his early career with Parker as a position coach, has joined a reworked safety unit that is now led by Caleb Downs and Jalen Thompson. Locke will be competing with Malik Hooker for third-safety snaps in a defense that is expected to deploy three at a time.
Barnwell didn’t stop his adoration for the Cowboys’ front office there. Former RB Rico Dowdle, now in Pittsburgh and owner of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, made the club. A surprising name appeared when LB Luke Gifford — currently of the San Francisco 49ers — was named as a special teams linebacker.
One name which was curiously omitted though, was wideout Ryan Flournoy. Perhaps his ascension really is a secret outside of Dallas, but he seems to be the perfect pick for an exercise like this. The Cowboys are clearly grooming him to be a potential replacement for George Pickens, who is coming off a 1,400 yard, 9-touchdown campaign.
Flournoy did his thing when CeeDee Lamb was injured, and even showed out in games where all of the wideouts were available. In six games where he played over 50% of the team’s snaps, he caught 29 passes for 379 yards and two scores. That’s an 82-catch, 1,000-yard pace on a part-time snap count.
Chimere Dike (TEN), Greg Dortch (DET), Ashton Dulin (IND), DeMario Douglas (NE), Cedric Tillman (CLE), Olamide Zaccheaus (ATL) got the six spots. Barnwell’s statement on the hand-wringing of finding top-tier wideouts supports the idea that he just missed on identifying Flournoy.
While there are certainly a lot of talented wide receivers to go around in the NFL, it’s still difficult to find players who can serve as the focal point of passing attacks off the bench.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 2 current, 2 former Cowboys make ESPN All-Backup team w/ 1 fatal snub
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire | USA TODAY Network
