Dallas Cowboys 53-Man Roster Projection: Preseason opener leads to surprise movement at several positions, Von Miller shake up
The Dallas Cowboys’ latest 53-man roster projection, with one player whose stock is rising listed for every single position.
We’re only one week into the 2026 NFL preseason, but we already learned a lot about the Dallas Cowboys’ roster contenders. Let’s dive into my latest projection of who makes it and who doesn’t following the team’s win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2026 undrafted free agents.
Quarterback (2)
IN: Dak Prescott, Sam Howell
OUT: Joe Milton
Stock rising: Sam Howell.
Listen, Joe Milton also had a positive outing on Saturday night and I think this battle is far from over. But I’ll give the slight edge to the quarterback who had the start on Saturday and did well. I wonder if the Cowboys flip the script and have Milton start the first half with Howell taking over in the second.
Running back (4)
IN: Javonte Williams, Hunter Luepke (FB), Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis
OUT: Phil Mafah, Israel Abanikanda, Jashaun Corbin
Stock rising: Malik Davis.
Malik Davis outplayed both Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah on Saturday and respect must be put on his name. It still sounds like head coach Brian Schottenheimer isn’t blaming the latter two for a lack of production on Saturday as he mostly put it on the blocking upfront.
But this is a wide open battle right now. I just don’t know how you cut Davis at this point. He’s the most reliable even if his upside isn’t very high.
Wide receiver (5)
IN: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, Camden Brown**
OUT: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jonathan Mingo, Anthony Smith*, Traeshon Holden, Jordan Hudson**, Tyler Johnson, Denzel Mims, Jaden Smith
Stock Rising: Camden Brown.
Brown’s two touchdowns catches in the preseason opener were the follow-up to a strong start to training camp. The Cowboys want to see consistency from him but I doubt they’ll risk him to waivers, he looks legit. That being said, Jonathan Mingo has a strong chance at the job.
Tight end (4)
IN: Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Luke Schoonmaker, Michael Trigg**
OUT: Zack Kuntz, DJ Rogers**
Stock Rising: Michael Trigg.
Trigg, the rookie that signed for the most guaranteed money in the Cowboys undrafted free agency class, was the best tight end for the team on Saturday. I still doubt Dallas is ready to move on from Luke Schoonmaker even after demoting him to TE3. So I have the Cowboys going long with four tight ends.
Offensive line (10)
IN: Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele, T.J. Bass, Ajani Cornelius, Nate Thomas, Trevor Keegan, Drew Shelton*
OUT: Marcellus Johnson, Nick Leverett, Sidney Fugar**, Shiyazh Pete**, DJ Wingfield**, Chris Glaser, Sebastian Gutierrez
Stock Rising: Ajani Cornelius.
Outside of the starters and T.J. Bass, I don’t think the Cowboys are overly confident in their offensive line depth. But if I had to pick a standout from the unit from Saturday, I’d have to go with Ajani Cornelius, who did very well at right guard.
EDGE / Outside linebacker (5)
IN: Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence*, James Houston, Von Miller
OUT: Sam Williams, Isaiah Land, Tyrus Wheat, Marist Liufau
Stock Rising: James Houston but…
Houston finished the day with two pressures and one sack to go with three stops, per PFF. It could have been more as he at least had a sack removed due to the Cowboys accepting a penalty.
Combined with Marist Liufau’s early struggles at edge, I have him making the roster. But after the Cowboys announced they’re signing Von Miller, it could get muddy. Could the team go long at EDGE here? I struggle to see it. For now, I have Miller’s arrival pushing Williams and Liufau off the 53.
Defensive tackle (5)
IN: Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Otito Ogbonnia, Jay Toia, LT Overton*
OUT: Adeyayo Odeleye, Jonathan Bullard, Kevin Gilliam**, Tommy Dunn Jr.**
Stock Rising: Jay Toia.
Toia has a long way to go but he’s perhaps the Cowboys’ best shot to back up Kenny Clark at nose tackle. Additionally, Jonathan Bullard keeps missing time with an injury so there’s uncertainty there. Rookie LT Overton flashed in the opener but he had an up-and-down performance.
Inside linebacker (5)
IN: DeMarvion Overshown, Jaishawn Barham*, Shemar James, Dee Winters, Justin Barron
OUT: Langston Patterson**, Curtis Robinson
Stock Rising: Justin Barron.
Barron had three interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams in a joint practice last week and he parlayed that with a strong showing on Saturday. Barron made two big stops and looked better in coverage than his teammate Curtis Robinson. It may be too early to place him on the 53-man roster, but it’s at least a conversation right now.
Cornerback (5)
IN: DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant, Shavon Revel Jr., Devin Moore*, Caelen Carson
OUT: Derion Kendrick, Trikweze Bridges, Reddy Steward, Josh Butler, Ameer Speed
Stock Rising: Shavon Revel Jr.
Not like Revel Jr. making the team is a surprise to anyone but his low snap count on Saturday confirms what we already knew: He’s making a serious push for the starting job at outside cornerback. He’s been a PBU magnet in training camp and had a highlight tackle in limited time this weekend.
Caelen Carson struggled but the Cowboys appear to really like him, so he makes the cut. But he’s under the microscope right now.
Safety (5)
IN: Caleb Downs*, Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke, Julius Wood
OUT: Alijah Clark, Markquese Bell, Zion Childress
Stock Rising: Julius Wood.
Talk about a guy who keeps making plays. The highlight of his day came in goal line defense, where he did a tremendous job in pursuit to make the big time tackle on an outside run play. He made plays in coverage and as a tackler on top of it.
Specialists (3)
IN: Brandon Aubrey (K), Bryan Anger (P), Trent Sieg (LS)
Stock Rising: Not a lot of movement here. They’re all good. That being said, the Cowboys have a lot to figure out on special teams.
