3 Dallas Cowboys players who came out of nowhere and could steal a roster spot this preseason, including top standout vs Rams
Many would assume making an NFL roster is hard if you’re joining a squad late in the offseason. For these three Dallas Cowboys players, it’s starting to look like a possibility. These are three Cowboys who came out of nowhere well after free agency and the NFL Draft—one of them arrived last week—that could steal […]
Many would assume making an NFL roster is hard if you’re joining a squad late in the offseason. For these three Dallas Cowboys players, it’s starting to look like a possibility.
These are three Cowboys who came out of nowhere well after free agency and the NFL Draft—one of them arrived last week—that could steal a spot on the team if they continue the preseason with strong play.
Let’s dive in.
DT Perrion Winfrey
Winfrey didn’t light up the stat sheet but he looked great in the trenches doing the dirty work in the trenches. He faced double teams consistently and still managed to get in the backfield to bring down the ballcarrier, while playing both nose tackle and three-tech. He looked like one of the best Cowboys defensive linemen on Saturday.
I expect Winfrey to make the 53-man roster after being signed in late June. The former Cleveland Browns fourth-round pick joined Dallas after a stint in the UFL earlier this year. After his first game action wearing the Star, he showed he deserves a place on the team. Now it’s about keeping it up.
DE James Houston
Houston faces an uphill battle based on the simple fact that the Cowboys are loaded at defensive end. They’ve got Micah Parsons (assuming he plays Week 1), Marshawn Kneeland, Sam Williams, Dante Fowler Jr., second-round rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku, among others. Houston needs to convince the Cowboys’ front office to go long at the position.
On Saturday, he showed play strength by rushing the passer with a long arm but he also showed his closing speed when almost destroying a Rams’ bootleg passing concept. It’s too early to know where Houston stands but he helped his stock last weekend and for someone who joined the team under a month ago, it’s telling that he has a chance.
RB Malik Davis
Davis arrived at the Cowboys last week so he naturally is a longshot and I wouldn’t expect him to make the roster. Dallas knows him well as he spent time with the team each of the last three years and there’s a reason why he wasn’t around for the offseason and the start of training camp.
Injuries forced the Cowboys to bring him back but the thing is, he ran for 63 yards in seven carries, averaging nine yards per attempt. Can Schottenheimer and Co. ignore that? For now, yes. It happened late in a preseason opener and Dallas has a deep RB room, albeit no proven starter. But if Davis builds on his strong preseason opener, he could make the coaches think twice. Out of the three players on the list though, Davis has the longest odds.
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