Final Cowboys 53-man roster projection for 2022 NFL Season
The Dallas Cowboys have started trimming down the roster from 80 players to 53 ahead of Tuesday's deadline. After putting together various roster projections throughout the offseason, this is the most important one by far. A few notes: It's insane to put together a roster projection without expecting to be wrong in many ways. Make […]
The Dallas Cowboys have started trimming down the roster from 80 players to 53 ahead of Tuesday's deadline. After putting together various roster projections throughout the offseason, this is the most important one by far.
A few notes:
- It's insane to put together a roster projection without expecting to be wrong in many ways. Make sure to let me know your thoughts – agreements or disagreements – on this projection on my Twitter @MauNFL.
- I split this into the Cowboys' offense and defense and added keynotes for each. Enjoy!
- You can follow the Cowboys cuts on our tracker here.
Initial 53-man Offense (24)
- Personally, I like Will Grier over Cooper Rush. His play is more exciting in multiple ways but the Cowboys are more likely to play it safe and I don't blame them. Not to mention, Rush knows this offense inside and out which gives him significant value.
- Two running backs! I would expect that to change at some point in the season and we do have a 53-man constraint we need to comply with. I hate moving on from Rico Dowdle and/or Malik Davis. I had to for this projection as I'm going long at WR and TE already.
- The Cowboys are likely to sneak James Washington into the roster in order to place him on IR. The depth at wide receiver is concerning and having Washington later in the year will be important. Gallup is likely to remain on the 53 even if he's inactive for multiple weeks. That probably means the Cowboys will need to risk letting one receiver go before re-signing him ahead of gameday. My guess here is that guy is UDFA Dennis Houston despite a strong camp.
- Four tight ends! Based on multiple reports, Peyton Hendershot is making the team. This is particularly important for a Cowboys team that might focus on 12 personnel early in the season.
- The offensive line is the toughest unit to project (I find this is the case every year). I'm guessing the Cowboys will add at least a swing tackle or guard depending on what they're planning to do with Tyler Smith. Early reports suggest he could be kicked out to left tackle. Josh Ball appears to be a virtual lock in spite of a poor preseason. Matt Waletzko's return probably means Aviante Collins' spot is taken. I'd like to have one more iOL on this projection.
Initial 53-man Defense (26)
- At defensive end, the one notable cut might be Tarrell Basham. The veteran had a strong preseason but there's a math element to this whole thing and I can't see the Cowboys moving on from any of the other ends.
- Hopefully, the Cowboys are able to sneak John Ridgeway into the practice squad if they decide to move on from the fifth-round draft pick. Quinton Bohanna won that one-technique battle, clearly. Carlos Watkins is the toughest cut here for me, but I'm making the risky assumption that they'll bring him back once the initial moves are done.
- Luke Gifford led the team in snaps on special teams. And Devin Harper might carve out a similar role. Other than that, no surprises here.
- Nahshon Wright is in the roster bubble. His preseason play was far from what was expected from him as a third-round pick. I had to leave CJ Goodwin out even though we know the Cowboys like him a lot as a specialist. But how many full-time specialists can you keep? I can see the Cowboys letting Wright go and keeping Goodwin, though. Despite preseason whispers, Kelvin Joseph is making the team.
- Since Dan Quinn's defense features a lot of three-safety looks, keeping anything less than five safeties seems unfeasible. The Cowboys are keeping five here and Markquese Bell and Israel Mukuamu are the guys. Bell is more of a Jayron Kearse backup and Mukuamu is a free safety type.
Specialists (3)
- K Brett Maher
- P Bryan Anger
- LS Jake McQuaide
For more thoughts on my projection and a look at my gameday Cowboys roster (including inactives), check out Sunday's episode of my show A to Z Sports Primetime!
Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
