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It's finally time. The Dallas Cowboys have packed up the team buses and filled the charter plane, heading west to Oxnard, CA to begin their 2025 training camp. With practices commencing on Tuesday, what better time to predict what things will look like come the end of August when the 90-man roster is whittled down to 53 than the present?
Dallas is deep in some areas, like edge rusher with a ton of high-pedigree bodies of all ages, and shallow in others, like the defensive interior. The team took a sharp turn from their 2024 talent acquisition process, grabbing veterans on both the free agent and trade market to offset some of their losses.
In that vein, here's an updated projection for the team's 53-man roster, which will be decided in full on August 26 following the third and final preseason game. The savvy reader will add up the counts and see there are only 52 names on the main roster; the suspicion is Dallas is going to make some sort of move to bring in a starter from somewhere else before Week 1.
Expecting a strong summer performance from both Dak Prescott and second-year acquisition Joe Milton. Milton may not be active on game-day to start the year, though, as the club might allow Will Grier to be the practice-squad call-up for the first several games and then decide whether to roster him. This was the method they used with Cooper Rush, to allow them to protect another player on the 53-man roster until an IR trip opened up a spot.
Roster Locks
Practice Squad
The two veteran offseason signings are going to make the club. When he was OC in Seattle, Schottenheimer never carried a fullback, though in his third of three seasons did employ bigger backs Carlos Hyde and Bo Scarborough, who were only about 5-7 pounds lighter than Hunter Luepke. We have Luepky getting a practice squad spot if he clears waivers, until the team is comfortable with giving Phil Mafah snaps in games that count.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
Practice Squad
Cut Candidate
I think it's a strong possibility that when it gets time to trim the roster, the Cowboys are going to trade Luke Schoonmaker. It seems a real possibility that Brevyn Spann-Ford will surpass him in the hierarchy, and the team may be able to recoup a Day 3 pick for the former second rounder. The idea is laid out here.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
None
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
Cut or Trade Candidate
The infusion of talent in the trade acquisition of George Pickens took this group from questionable into the conversation for one of the league's best. Instantly the Cowboys have a WR3 in Tolbert who has skins on the wall, a big-play gadget WR4 in Kavontae Turpin, and the upside of young players such as Jonathan Mingo and Ryan Flournoy where if either shows future WR2 capabilities it's one of the deeper groups in the NFL, led by First-Team All-Pro candidate CeeDee Lamb.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
None
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
Cut or Trade Candidate
Predicting the Cowboys roll with 10 offensive linemen on the initial roster makes us a little more comfortable than recent versions of the projections. Six linemen are here for sure, with another two seeming like very smart bets. Outside of those eight, there's a player who was stashed with an injury last camp, a veteran looking to return after a year away from the game, and then a late-round flyer and late FA addition who the team.
The youth along the offensive line breeds both hope and anxiety, and how well they've developed and can play out the gate under the new regime dedicated to their play is going to define how the club's season goes.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
Perhaps the easiest group to size up, the Cowboys should have one of the league's best edge rusher rotations in 2025. Led by 2021 first-round pick Micah Parsons, the group has spent draft capital (three second-round picks) and free agency dollars on high-pedigree additions, including two former first rounders added to the fold. Training camp battles will be about earning a place in a deep rotation, and for a handful of others, likely fighting for one practice squad spot.
In this iteration, we see Dallas letting Payton Turner go, despite his $1.4 million contract being guaranteed and his former first-round pick pedigree.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
Think They Make It
None
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
It's a pretty wild drop off from the amount of talent in one of the DL rooms to the other, but here goes.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
The Cowboys are probably worse at linebacker heading into 2025 than they were 2024, due to the injury to up-and-coming star DeMarvion Overshown. There's hope, however, due to the new DC being a linebacker guru. Matt Eberflus brought an up-and-coming player with him, as well as a high-pedigree veteran who joined via trade.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
Cut or Trade Candidate
A change here, as we're including Trevon Diggs on the opening roster. While I don't believe he's ready to go for Week 1, I do think that he will practice some in training camp and the team won't be able to put him on PUP. What about Returnable IR to start the year? Instead of making him wait a minimum of four games and using one of eight returnable slots, Diggs is just inactive for the first few weeks.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
None
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
The Cowboys are going to be deploying a split safety look, so this depth chart feels a bit shallow. Perhaps an addition from outside the roster happens.
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
Think They Make It
None
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
Roster Locks
Pretty Secure
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
None
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys 53-man roster sees former 1st-round FA signing released
Continue reading...
Dallas is deep in some areas, like edge rusher with a ton of high-pedigree bodies of all ages, and shallow in others, like the defensive interior. The team took a sharp turn from their 2024 talent acquisition process, grabbing veterans on both the free agent and trade market to offset some of their losses.
In that vein, here's an updated projection for the team's 53-man roster, which will be decided in full on August 26 following the third and final preseason game. The savvy reader will add up the counts and see there are only 52 names on the main roster; the suspicion is Dallas is going to make some sort of move to bring in a starter from somewhere else before Week 1.
Quarterbacks (2 on roster, 1 on practice squad)
Expecting a strong summer performance from both Dak Prescott and second-year acquisition Joe Milton. Milton may not be active on game-day to start the year, though, as the club might allow Will Grier to be the practice-squad call-up for the first several games and then decide whether to roster him. This was the method they used with Cooper Rush, to allow them to protect another player on the 53-man roster until an IR trip opened up a spot.
Roster Locks
- Dak Prescott
- Joe Milton III
Practice Squad
- Will Grier
Running Backs (3 + 2)
The two veteran offseason signings are going to make the club. When he was OC in Seattle, Schottenheimer never carried a fullback, though in his third of three seasons did employ bigger backs Carlos Hyde and Bo Scarborough, who were only about 5-7 pounds lighter than Hunter Luepke. We have Luepky getting a practice squad spot if he clears waivers, until the team is comfortable with giving Phil Mafah snaps in games that count.
Roster Locks
- Javonte Williams
- Jaydon Blue (R)
Pretty Secure
- MIles Sanders
Practice Squad
- Phil Mafah (R)
- Hunter Luepke (FB/H-Back)
Cut Candidate
- Deuce Vaughn
Tight Ends (3 + 1)
I think it's a strong possibility that when it gets time to trim the roster, the Cowboys are going to trade Luke Schoonmaker. It seems a real possibility that Brevyn Spann-Ford will surpass him in the hierarchy, and the team may be able to recoup a Day 3 pick for the former second rounder. The idea is laid out here.
Roster Locks
- Jake Ferguson
- Brevyn Spann-Ford
Pretty Secure
None
Think They Make It
- Luke Schoonmaker
Practice Squad
- Rivaldo Fairweather (UDFA Rookie)
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
- John Stephens (knee)
Cut or Trade Candidate
- Princeton Fant
- Tyler Neville (UDFA)
Wide Receivers (6 + 3)
The infusion of talent in the trade acquisition of George Pickens took this group from questionable into the conversation for one of the league's best. Instantly the Cowboys have a WR3 in Tolbert who has skins on the wall, a big-play gadget WR4 in Kavontae Turpin, and the upside of young players such as Jonathan Mingo and Ryan Flournoy where if either shows future WR2 capabilities it's one of the deeper groups in the NFL, led by First-Team All-Pro candidate CeeDee Lamb.
Roster Locks
- CeeDee Lamb
- George Pickens
- Jalen Tolbert
- Jonathan Mingo
- Kavontae Turpin
Pretty Secure
None
Think They Make It
- Ryan Flournoy
Practice Squad
- Parris Campbell
- Jalen Brooks
- Traeshon Holden (UDFA)
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
- None
Cut or Trade Candidate
- Kelvin Harmon
- Jalen Moreno
- Josh Kelly (UDFA)
Offensive Linemen (10 + 2)
Predicting the Cowboys roll with 10 offensive linemen on the initial roster makes us a little more comfortable than recent versions of the projections. Six linemen are here for sure, with another two seeming like very smart bets. Outside of those eight, there's a player who was stashed with an injury last camp, a veteran looking to return after a year away from the game, and then a late-round flyer and late FA addition who the team.
The youth along the offensive line breeds both hope and anxiety, and how well they've developed and can play out the gate under the new regime dedicated to their play is going to define how the club's season goes.
Roster Locks
- Tyler Guyton
- Tyler Smith
- Cooper Beebe
- Tyler Booker (R)
- Terence Steele
- Asim Richards
Pretty Secure
- Robert Jones
- Brock Hoffman
Think They Make It
- Nathan Thomas
Practice Squad
- Saahdiq Charles
- Hakeem Adeniji
- Anaji Cornelius (R)
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
- TJ Bass
- Matt Waletzko
- Dakoda Shepley
Defensive Ends (5 + 1)
Perhaps the easiest group to size up, the Cowboys should have one of the league's best edge rusher rotations in 2025. Led by 2021 first-round pick Micah Parsons, the group has spent draft capital (three second-round picks) and free agency dollars on high-pedigree additions, including two former first rounders added to the fold. Training camp battles will be about earning a place in a deep rotation, and for a handful of others, likely fighting for one practice squad spot.
In this iteration, we see Dallas letting Payton Turner go, despite his $1.4 million contract being guaranteed and his former first-round pick pedigree.
Roster Locks
- Micah Parsons
- Dante Fowler
- Donovan Ezeiruaku (R)
- Marshawn Kneeland
Pretty Secure
- Sam Williams
Think They Make It
None
Practice Squad
- Payton Turner
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
- Tyrus Wheat
- Luiji Vilain
Defensive Tackles (5 + 2)
It's a pretty wild drop off from the amount of talent in one of the DL rooms to the other, but here goes.
Roster Locks
- Osa Odighizuwa
- Mazi Smith
Pretty Secure
- Solomon Thomas
Think They Make It
- Jay Toia (R)
- Perrion Winfrey
Practice Squad
- Denzel Daxon (IPP)
- Tommy Akingbesote (R)
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
- Earnest Brown
Linebackers (5 + 1)
The Cowboys are probably worse at linebacker heading into 2025 than they were 2024, due to the injury to up-and-coming star DeMarvion Overshown. There's hope, however, due to the new DC being a linebacker guru. Matt Eberflus brought an up-and-coming player with him, as well as a high-pedigree veteran who joined via trade.
Roster Locks
- Kenneth Murray
- Marist Liufau
- Shemar James (R)
Pretty Secure
- Jack Sanborn
Think They Make It
- Justin Barron (UDFA)
Practice Squad
- Damone Clark
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
- DeMarvion Overshown (knee)
Cut or Trade Candidate
- Buddy Johnson
- Brock Mogensen
- Darius Harris
Cornerbacks (6 + 2)
A change here, as we're including Trevon Diggs on the opening roster. While I don't believe he's ready to go for Week 1, I do think that he will practice some in training camp and the team won't be able to put him on PUP. What about Returnable IR to start the year? Instead of making him wait a minimum of four games and using one of eight returnable slots, Diggs is just inactive for the first few weeks.
Roster Locks
- DaRon Bland
- Kaiir Elam
- Shavon Revel (R)
- Israel Mukuamu
- Trevon Diggs
Pretty Secure
None
Think They Make It
- Caelen Carson
Practice Squad
- Bruce Harmon (UDFA)
- Roger Rochell
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
- Andrew Booth
- Troy Pride, Jr.
- Luq Barcoo
- Josh Butler
- Kemon Hall
Safeties (4 + 1)
The Cowboys are going to be deploying a split safety look, so this depth chart feels a bit shallow. Perhaps an addition from outside the roster happens.
Roster Locks
- Malik Hooker
- Markqueese Bell
- Juanyeh Thomas
Pretty Secure
- Donovan Wilson
Think They Make It
None
Practice Squad
- Alijah Clark (UDFA)
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
- Mike Smith, Jr. (UDFA)
- Zion Childress (UDFA)
Special Teams (3 + 1)
Roster Locks
- Brandon Aubrey
- Trent Sieg
Pretty Secure
- Bryan Anger
Think They Make It
Practice Squad
- CJ Goodwin
PUP/NFI/IR Stash
None
Cut or Trade Candidate
None
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys 53-man roster sees former 1st-round FA signing released
Continue reading...