A small comment from Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer during his most recent press conference might have revealed a lot about his thinking going into roster cutdown day. The Cowboys wide receiver battle between Jonathan Mingo and undrafted rookie Camden Brown has been one of the most compelling storylines of training camp in Oxnard, California.

But Schottenheimer’s latest remarks suggest Dallas may not have to choose between them at all, potentially carrying six wide receivers on the 53-man roster instead of the expected five. 

It all started when Schottenheimer was asked to name five Cowboys players who exceeded his expectations during training camp. Instead, he named 10. Now, I wrote about my takeaways from the full list in a recent article, but today I want to dive into two specific names that stood out for a very particular reason: Brown and Mingo. 

Why Brown and Mingo stood out

The thinking for Cowboys fans, content creators, and media has been that Brown and Mingo are fighting for the fifth spot at wide receiver. That makes for a very compelling battle. 

Mingo is a veteran the Cowboys traded for in 2024. He’s had a solid camp and a solid preseason. The Cowboys believe he can contribute on special teams, and he had a touchdown-saving tackle in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks to back it up.

Brown is a different profile entirely. He’s the undrafted rookie who keeps making spectacular catches in camp and had two fantastic touchdown grabs against the Seahawks, one from Sam Howell and another from Joe Milton. He looks like a surprise rookie Dallas might want to keep on the team, and he has shown up on special teams as well.

The prevailing logic had been that the Cowboys were already so top-heavy at the position with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, KaVontae Turpin, and Ryan Flournoy that carrying only 5 wide receivers made the most sense. The group didn’t look deep enough to justify a sixth spot. It didn’t seem like Dallas was particularly high on Mingo, and it didn’t seem like one of the undrafted rookies or even seventh-round pick Anthony Smith was going to generate enough noise to warrant a 53-man roster spot.

But if Schottenheimer is saying that both Brown and Mingo have been among the most surprising players in camp, it opens the door to another answer: carrying both on the 53 and going long at wide receiver.

Where the Cowboys could go short

Going long at wide receiver means going short somewhere else. It’s the fascinating numbers game of building a 53-man roster. If we keep things to the offensive side, it would seem likely Dallas goes short at either running back or tight end.

One thing that stood out to me is Michael Trigg’s omission from Schottenheimer’s list. The Cowboys’ undrafted tight end has been considered a 53-man roster candidate since he was signed because the Cowboys guaranteed him the most money out of undrafted free agency, and Trigg was considered a Day 3 talent by many before off-field concerns caused him to fall through all seven rounds. Trigg is also dealing with a toe injury right now, which doesn’t help his case. It might be a strong possibility that Dallas does not carry him on the 53, instead going with Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, and Luke Schoonmaker at tight end.

Running back is also a position where you just don’t know what the Cowboys think of their room. I think the only locks are Javonte Williams and fullback Hunter Luepke at this point. It seems like Dallas really wants to make Jaydon Blue work as a No. 2 running back. From there, it’s a big question mark. Do they like Malik Davis enough to keep him on the 53? To me, he looks like the second-best running back on the team, but the Cowboys have shown before that they’re willing to risk him to waivers. Rookie Phil Mafah did not get a lot of chances to shine in the preseason opener, though he did play in the first half. 

What carrying 6 wide receivers would achieve

Here’s the thing about this potential move: Mingo would probably be the player the Cowboys see as the most game-day ready of the two, and Brown might start his NFL career as a healthy scratch. But what Dallas gains by keeping Brown on the 53 is that they don’t risk him to waivers. Their surprising rookie ends up safe on the roster with time to develop until the coaching staff is more comfortable playing him.

The fact that Schottenheimer named both of these players means one of two things. Either this is one of the most fun battles on the Cowboys roster ahead of the next two preseason games, or it means Dallas is actually willing to go long at wide receiver. That position is undoubtedly looking like the best group on the entire roster because they’re top-heavy and they’re looking surprisingly deep.