The Dallas Cowboys face a Sunday deadline to trim their roster to 53 players, and several position groups remain shrouded in uncertainty. From the defensive tackle rotation to the wide receiver room, the Cowboys have questions to answer before Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET roster deadline. Let’s break it down.

Where does Jonathan Bullard fit?

This is easily one of the biggest mysteries on the Cowboys roster heading into final cuts. The veteran defensive tackle was expected to be a roster lock early in camp. Insider Nick Harris from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram even listed him among the safe players at the position, which surprised me at the time. I thought Bullard would have to fight for his spot on the 53-man roster, but everyone seemed convinced Dallas would bet on his decade’s worth of experience.

The problem? Bullard has barely practiced. He suffered an injury Aug. 4 and has been dealing with groin and abdomen issues ever since. He hasn’t participated in either preseason game, and when the Cowboys returned to The Star in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday for their first open practice, he didn’t participate then either.

The big three at defensive tackle appear set: Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, and Otito Ogbonnia, who should start whenever Dallas lines up in base defense. Fourth-round rookie LT Overton will make the roster as well. That leaves the 5th spot as a battle between Jay Toia and Bullard, and it likely comes down to Bullard’s health.

Jay Toia has had a decent preseason and brings something others don’t: the ability to be a true nose tackle. He’s not going to light up the stat sheet or make highlight-reel plays, but if you’re asking him to occupy space, he’s shown flashes that suggest he can do the job.

The Cowboys can place two players on injured reserve with a designation to return. If Bullard’s health doesn’t improve, one of those spots could go to him, with Jay Toia claiming the active roster spot.

The 6th outside linebacker spot

The roster locks at outside linebacker, for me, are Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, James Houston, and free agent acquisition Von Miller. That leaves Sam Williams and Marist Liufau fighting for the final spot.

Liufau has an obvious advantage: the Cowboys like how he plays special teams. He’s a high-effort player who gets after it every snap. But Sam Williams, right now, is a better outside linebacker. I’m not a fan of what we’ve seen from Liufau on defense through the preseason. If he doesn’t win with speed right away, there’s not a lot he can do to win the rep.

My question then becomes one of roster construction. If Liufau makes it as a special teams player who gets zero defensive snaps (like a CJ Goodwin-type role with an 80% special teams snap count), isn’t that what the Cowboys are already doing with Markquese Bell? Carrying both players on your active game-day roster, which is even fewer than 53, feels like a tough ask.

Who is the 5th cornerback?

I say “5th cornerback” with a grain of salt because we’re really talking about the 4th cornerback in terms of game-day usage. DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant, and Shavon Revell Jr. are expected to either start or share the secondary with safety Caleb Downs, who will play a lot of nickel. Fourth-round rookie Devin Moore is someone Dallas is developing, but if the Cowboys need a veteran to step in, I’m not sure they like what they’ve got right now.

Derion Kendrick, Caelen Carson, Amir Speed, and Reddy Steward are solid options, maybe. But Carson was getting first-team reps during the offseason program and struggled so badly in the preseason opener that he was demoted for the second game against the Arizona Cardinals.

So the real question: Does the 5th cornerback come from that group, or do the Cowboys target someone off the waiver wire like they did last year? Steward and Trikweze Bridges both made the team after cuts in 2025. Something similar could happen again.

Camden Brown’s spot isn’t as safe as you think

Here’s something you might not like: I don’t think Camden Brown’s spot is secured. The Cowboys don’t want to get rid of him. They’ve seen enough to believe he might be special. But I think Jonathan Mingo makes it before Brown. That’s my bet right now.

The Cowboys like the game-day readiness Mingo brings to the table. They like what he offers as a run blocker. He’s been contributing on special teams as a returner, too, which is worth mentioning even with someone like KaVontae Turpin on the roster.

The deeper issue is numbers. If the Cowboys want to carry 3 quarterbacks because they’re impressed by what Sam Howell and Joe Milton have done, and if they want to carry 10 offensive linemen because the position is critical (even though we haven’t been impressed with what we’ve seen from that group), can they afford to carry 6 wide receivers? I’m very curious to see how they figure that one out.

For what it’s worth, I do have the Cowboys carrying six wideouts in my latest roster projection. But I don’t think it’s a given going into the weekend. 

The Michael Trigg situation

Tight end Michael Trigg has yet to return to practice before the preseason finale with a toe injury, and I would be surprised if we see him. With two missed preseason games and the final stretch of training camp, it wouldn’t shock anyone if he’s stashed on Injured Reserve.

And here’s where the Cowboys may catch a break. I want to knock on wood, but Dallas has been fortunate with its health this summer. If the Cowboys don’t have many IR candidates for those two designated-to-return spots, they can use one on Trigg as a luxury stash. Place him on IR, designate him to return, and know you’ll see him at some point this season. That’s a significant advantage in roster construction.

Those are the biggest things I’m wondering about ahead of Friday night’s preseason finale against New Orleans. We’ll see if the Cowboys can answer some of these questions before Sunday’s deadline. For now, we wait.