Dallas Cowboys 53-Man Roster Prediction After Preseason Finale: QB room settled, team needs outside help at 2 spots
The Dallas Cowboys’ preseason has come to an end. Only roster cuts separate us from the regular season. Who will be the 53 members of the team?
The Dallas Cowboys’ preseason has come to an end. But there’s not a lot of time to reflect on the final scoreboard. That’s because the coaching staff has under 48 hours to cut down the rostered players from 91 to 53 before Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline.
Below is my final stab at what the roster will look like when it’s all said and done.
Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2026 undrafted free agents
Quarterback (3)
IN: Dak Prescott, Joe Milton, Sam Howell
OUT: N/A
My take: I’m not a fan of using three roster spots at quarterback. But the Cowboys like what they’ve seen from both Milton (who has had the better preseason) and Howell (who was admittedly ahead of Milton before the preseason). Howell’s strong game in the preseason finale will make this bleed into the regular season.
Running back (4)
IN: Javonte Williams, Hunter Luepke (FB), Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis
OUT: Phil Mafah, Israel Abanikanda, Jashaun Corbin
My take: Davis has to be on the 53 because he’s your second most complete running back. The Cowboys like Blue’s upside, too. He’s in.
Wide receiver (6)
IN: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo, Camden Brown**
OUT: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Anthony Smith*, Jordan Hudson**, Tyler Johnson, Denzel Mims, Jaden Smith
My take: I understand the Cowboys wanting to keep Jonathan Mingo. But you can’t risk undrafted rookie Camden Brown to waivers. I’m unsure about what will happen here but for now, I’ve got them going long.
Tight end (3)
IN: Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Luke Schoonmaker
OUT: Michael Trigg**, Zack Kuntz, DJ Rogers**, Mitchell Van Vooren
My take: The Cowboys will surely try to get Trigg back on practice squad, but I don’t think he did enough in the preseason finale to warrant a spot on the 53. Schoonmaker is very clearly safe.
Offensive line (10)
IN: Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele, T.J. Bass, Nate Thomas, Drew Shelton*, Nick Leverrett, Ajani Cornelius
OUT: Marcellus Johnson, Trevor Keegan, Shiyazh Pete**, DJ Wingfield**, Chris Glaser, Sebastian Gutierrez
My take: Beyond T.J. Bass, depth is a serious concern. Swing tackle is something the Cowboys could look to address via free agency.
EDGE / Outside linebacker (6)
IN: Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence*, James Houston, Von Miller, Tyrus Wheat
OUT: Marist Liufau Isaiah Land, Sam Williams
My take: Liufau exited the preseason finale with a wrist injury and was spotted postgame in a soft cast and sling. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed Liufau broke his forearm and will take “weeks” to return with a surgery expected next week.
That makes Liufau a candidate for Injured Reserve, potentially with a designation to return. But Sam Williams failed to step up in his absence. Missed tackles were an issue again. Meanwhile, Tyrus Wheat had himself a nice game.
Defensive tackle (5)
IN: Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Otito Ogbonnia, LT Overton*, Jonathan Bullard
OUT: Adeyayo Odeleye, Jay Toia, Kevin Gilliam**, Tommy Dunn Jr.**
My take: If Bullard is healthy, he probably overtakes Toia or undrafted rookie Tommy Dunn Jr. But he hasn’t practiced since early August so take this one with a grain of salt.
Inside linebacker (4)
IN: DeMarvion Overshown, Jaishawn Barham*, Shemar James, Dee Winters
OUT: Justin Barron, Langston Patterson**, Curtis Robinson
My take: I like Justin Barron but the roster math makes it tough to carry five inside linebackers here. Luckily, Barham’s play has to have the Cowboys feeling better about the position.
Cornerback (4)
IN: DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant, Shavon Revel Jr., Devin Moore*
OUT: Caelen Carson, Reddy Steward, Ameer Speed, Derion Kendrick, Trikweze Bridges, Josh Butler
My take: The Cowboys will likely have more cornerbacks when it’s all said and done. But I have them going short here because I just don’t think the Cowboys CB4 is on the roster. They need to go out and find him. Moore is a rookie and he’ll get a chance to develop, but ideally he’d be CB5.
Safety (5)
IN: Caleb Downs*, Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke, Markquese Bell
OUT: Julius Wood, Alijah Clark, Zion Childress
My take: The deepest group on defense for the Cowboys sees preseason standout Julius Wood miss the cut. Downs will play a lot in the nickel, Locke is likely the top backup safety and Bell is seen as a special teams ace who can play in the “Big 4” (kickoff and punts both ways).
Specialists (3)
IN: Brandon Aubrey (K), Bryan Anger (P), Trent Sieg (LS)
My take: No surprises here.
