Could Cowboys Cut a Rookie Picked in the Top 120? Why Dallas might be facing a tough decision ahead of roster cutdown day
The Dallas Cowboys have some tough decisions to make come Sunday’s roster cutdown deadline. And that might include an unpopular approach with a fourth-round rookie.
Excluding seventh-round draft picks, the Dallas Cowboys rarely cut players rookies that costed them draft capital. After all, we’re talking about a front office that takes pride in its “draft and develop” strategy to the point of neglecting free agency for years (2026 has been different in terms of acquiring outside talent).
But this season, they should at least consider moving on from one of their fourth-round picks when Sunday’s roster cuts deadline comes around. Let’s break it down.
Cowboys rookie OT has struggled
The Cowboys picked Drew Shelton with pick No. 112 in the fourth round. The expectation set on him right away was for him to be depth early on in his career and maybe even compete for a swing tackle role.
But so far, he’s looked struggled much more than expected. At this point, he simply doesn’t look like a viable NFL tackle. I don’t mean to pile on the player, as he could still develop into a solid lineman with time. But Shelton’s struggles have been very apparent in the preseason, to the point of landing a 3.0 pass-blocking grade from PFF in Week 2 of the preseason.
The film backs up the grade, too. Shelton has lost reps due to poor footwork, play strength and overall technique. Those struggles have even translated to practice, where Shelton has lost reps even against bottom of the depth chart players, including EDGE Marist Liufau (who has notably struggled to rush the passer all preseason) and DT Jay Toia.
I look at scouting reports for Shelton from the draft process and here’s what I find.
Our own Travis May here at A to Z Sports wrote of Shelton: “He was already obviously an NFL-ready tackle prior to his final season, then played perhaps his best year yet last fall.”
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote on his famous draft guide nicknamed The Beast: “He projects as an NFL swing tackle with starting potential.”
I’m not writing the above to knock on their evaluations (they both point out Shelton needs time to develop) but they’re writeups kind of suggest he can contribute as depth early on. I don’t believe he’s meeting those expectations.
The Cowboys dilemma
Here’s the real problem that should have the Cowboys thinking about potentially cutting a fourth-round pick going into the season. It’s alright to keep players on the 53 to develop them for the future. But right now, the team has no proven swing tackle.
There are also plenty of good players fighting for spots at the bottom of the roster. Bryan Broaddus of Crown Global Media recently posted this on social media: “Will McClay told me they’re going to pick the best 53.”
The “best” is a subjective word. But Shelton is simply not that right now. He needs time, and probably more than the Cowboys expected. Do the Cowboys, in win now mode, carry a tackle in the hopes he can play in the future?
For what it’s worth, I think they do. Again, moving on from drafted rookies is just something the Cowboys don’t do. Most NFL teams don’t, in fact. What I belive, however, is it shouldn’t be a given.
