How hard will it be to get to the Final 53?

A quick dress rehearsal of the Cowboys final roster decisions

This sportswriter tradition is one that I don’t protest, because there is some sense in comparing notes with the final outcome after covering training camp for weeks and weeks.

Now, if we are going to chop the Dallas Cowboys roster down to 53, please understand the reality of things. The Cowboys cut guys that they intend to keep and they keep guys they intend to cut. Therefore, I think this exercise is never able to be properly scored since the Cowboys kept one QB and no kicker last year in their “final cuts” because they weren’t actually final. Remember how they loved Cooper Rush so much that they cut him right before he was their QB for about six straight weeks?

They have agreements with players that do not pass through waivers and have been using this loophole to kind of take the fun out of the “final 53” for a few years now.

Let’s review that loophole briefly:

The NFL’s waiver process is a system that restricts where young players can sign. Any player with less than four years of NFL service when cut is not a free agent, but must first pass through waivers. Any player on waivers is subject to having their contract claimed by any other NFL team.

Generally speaking players cut with four or more years of NFL experience immediately become free agents and are free to sign with any NFL team. However, during the season, beginning immediately after the NFL trade deadline passes and continuing through the end of the regular season, vested veterans (players with four or more years of NFL service) are also subject to the waiver process.

What this basically means is that at the end of training camp, there are players who have enough years in the league and contracts at the minimum and not guaranteed that allow them to basically have an “understanding” with the team that you will get cut, but we intend on having you in our plans. In the event that a player is offered a similar contract elsewhere, despite spending the entire off-season with a team that just told you they intend on making you a part of their roster, he is free to go. But, he would be ill-advised to do so in most cases.

Then, you would cut that veteran, temporarily, so that you could get one of your young pups through without subjecting them to waivers before you might store that young man on an injured list and basically keeping 55 or 56 players instead of 53. It is a smart way around the intended cutdown day, but it sort of makes the exercise of predicting the final 53 incongruent. I am trying to pick the best 53 players and they are trying to pick the 53 that they think need to be protected — these can be different missions.

One final excuse about why my 53 won’t be correct before I begin (and I say this every year). There is no final roster in the NFL. There is a final Week 1 roster and there is a final roster before team picture day.

But, beyond that, a roster is a living, breathing, and evolving entity that never reaches final form. Every day, a good team should be looking to find improvements and planning for injuries or expiring contracts. This is why franchise wins over superstars.

A player will always age out of his prime. A good franchise is able to replenish its youth with one simple initiative being followed — churn that roster and stay young and fluid. So, while they need to get to their final roster by 3 p.m. Central time next Tuesday, August 29th, we should know that much of the reveal will be a temporary list.

Every team will begin pouring through the names that the other 31 teams just released to see if one could upgrade someone who just called his parents to tell them he made the Cowboys. In some cases, he only made the Cowboys for a few hours, which is a heartbreaking reality that you sort of hope you never play out in real time.

The 1960 Dallas Cowboys, photo courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys

So, assuming they don’t do a trade with someone or snag someone’s kicker off waivers, here is what I would chose for my final 53 from the roster they currently have:

---

The Cowboys 53 - Sturm Edition

Offense

QB (2)

Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush

I do not believe that Rush maneuver from last year can be used again. He has a multi-year deal and the guaranteed portion would accelerate against the cap and create dead money. So, only one-year-contract-vets can have that trick done.

RB (3)

Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn

This is where we wonder if they will carry a fourth RB for special teams and also to keep Malik Davis from going anywhere. But Davis doesn’t seem like the type that can get to the practice squad. Ronald Jones should be a street free agent that you can grab at any time and I didn’t see enough from Hunter Luepke.

TE (4)

Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot, Sean McKeon, Luke Schoonmaker - John Stevens IR

This is a lot of tight ends. But I think we have come to expect Dallas will keep this many because there is good special teams utility here and also with the emphasis on 12 personnel and running the rock this year, I can see four. Its a shame that John Stephens got hurt, but it probably helps them pick their roster and hopefully he can redshirt for 2024. Also, all four of these guys are on their rookie deals so waivers would apply to any of them.

WR (6)

CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert, Kavontae Turpin, and Jalen Brooks

I decided to keep Jalen Brooks over Simi Fehoko. I don’t feel confident about this idea because when we get to the sixth WR, this is usually a guy who helps special teams on coverage units all year and I am not sure if Brooks is a big help there. But, I think Brooks, Dennis Houston, and Fehoko who are considerations. I might try to stash the others and each were considered, but I just can’t ignore Brooks. He is so interesting and has some nice traits that I think they want to keep him and not risk a trip through waivers.

OL (9)

Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin, Terence Steele, Asim Richards, Josh Ball, Matt Waletzko, Brock Hoffman

As you can see, it gets thin fast here.

They have six guys who are locks and those last three names are extremely fringe NFL players at this point. But, on the Cowboys roster, they are probably the 7th, 8th, and 9th best options. You look to upgrade and to improve, but for now, this unit needs to stay healthy. There is just no real quality depth right now up front – another reason Zack Martin was always going to get done. I must say that Josh Ball making this team was a surprise for me, but his work at guard has been a pleasant surprise indeed. TJ Bass probably just misses the cut.

Ok, that is 24 on the offense.

Defense

DT (5)

Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Johnathan Hankins, Quinton Bohanna, Chauncey Golston

This group has been locked in for a while. I just can’t see carrying Neville Gallimore anymore if he cannot crack this group on pure merit. Not sure what happened, but his first two years have been so much better than his last two so it is probably time. Bohanna has never looked better and Golston has too much utility to throw back in the pond.

EDGE (6)

Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Junior Fehoko

What a ridiculous group of edges. Sam Williams has been a beast this year and Dante Fowler has made himself an important piece with the way he busts his tail any time he is on the field. Fehoko needs time and luckily the Cowboys are in no hurry with him. This is a loaded group for now – so much so that Isaiah Land is probably not a fit aside from the practice squad, despite some flashes.

LB (4)

Leighton Vander Esch, Damone Clark, Devin Harper, Jabril Cox - DeMarvion Overshown IR

With DeMarvion Overshown out for 2023, we have to reshuffle this deck and it isn’t great. They had huge plans for Overshown. This probably puts LVE back to a full-time LB where he was as opposed to anything more creative they were thinking.

Harper is special teams and now plenty of pressure on Damone Clark to be what they think he can be – which is an absolute stud LB in the NFL. And Leighton will need to stay fit which is a challenge, as we know. Jabril Cox is likely now back in the team, but barely. I was worried about him for a second, but that is how this league works. Misfortune for one guy leads to further opportunity for another. They might chase another LB here.

CB (5)

Trevon Diggs, Stephon Gilmore, DaRon Bland, Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright

This is a nice group and ideal in many ways. But, the two names on my list here are Jourdan Lewis and Eric Scott. First, Lewis has a bad cap number and is not the best slot corner even when fully healthy because Bland is better. But, he also is not fully fit on PUP so there may need to be an injury settlement or something to work out how to deal with his future, but they are not paying Lewis $5.8m to be their second best.

Scott has certainly had a good camp and they went through some trouble to get him, but I just think that Lewis vs Wright is a battle of two guys who are very much on the fringe. Maybe that means Scott should win the job, now that we mention it. This might be another decision for Bones Fassell to decide based on coverage utility.

Safety (6)

Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse, Israel Mukuamu, Markquese Bell, CJ Goodwin

This probably comes down to keeping two of the following three names in Bell, Goodwin, and Tyler Coyle as purely special teams offerings. The Cowboys will play three safeties a lot and Mukuamu is a slot safety cover, too. So this is a very good group and Goodwin might get cut and re-signed, using that trick we explained at the top.

That means 26 on the defense, which makes sense because they have more quality depth than the offense. So, that is 50. Now, again, Long Snapper and Kicker are two more ways to sneak roster spots, but I am giving you my honest 53.

Specialists (3)

Bryan Anger, Brandon Aubrey, Trent Sieg

Anger is good, Aubrey is a shot in the dark, and Sieg is a veteran who can be cut and retained, most likely. Not much to report here other than Dallas probably needs a kicker, even though that story of Aubrey is interesting.

I just don’t know that a contender can screw around with kicker as much as Dallas does. And a reminder that Greg Zuerlein is still very good. Alas.

As you can see, there are a few kids I am torn about – Jalen Brooks, Eric Scott, etc. And a few spots I am worried about - OL Depth, LB (again), and kicker.

But, overall, this is a very good roster that should form into a very good team here in 2023.

Let’s here your disagreements below.