Cowboys 53-man roster prediction: End of the road for former first-rounder, RB battle defined, plus the Phil Mafah decision
One more Cowboys roster prediction ahead of roster cutdown day.
The Dallas Cowboys preseason is over, which means roster cuts are about to pour in. But we have just enough time to put in one more attempt to predict who the 53 players making up the team will be.
Who will make Brian Schottenheimer’s squad? Who won’t? Let’s find out.
Notes: Players with one asterisk (*) represent 2025 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) represent 2025 undrafted free agents. Some players aren’t projected “cuts” but rather injured players. The specific lists they’re projected to be placed in are in parentheses.
Quarterback (3)
IN: Dak Prescott, Joe Milton, Will Grier
OUT: None
Milton’s struggles early in the preseason could’ve cost him the backup QB job but he looked much better on Friday night and he should be considered a roster lock. But I’m not sure we saw enough for Dallas to be comfortably moving on from Grier. As such, the Cowboys ride with three QBs in my prediction.
Running back (4)
IN: Javonte Williams, Hunter Luepke (FB), Jaydon Blue*, Phil Mafah*
OUT: Deuce Vaughn, Miles Sanders
It was nice to finally watch Blue suit up and boy did he seize the night. He showed speed, vision, and even power as he ran over a Falcons LB to score his first ever NFL touchdown. He’s RB2 in my book. Hopefully his ankle injury isn’t anything serious.
The battle to watch in my book was always Sanders vs. Mafah. Heading into the game, multiple insiders hinted at Mafah as a potential surprise cut. With only two rush attempts, it’s difficult to see him beating the odds. But I’ll go with what I’ve seen on film instead of what with others are saying. Mafah looks good enough to where letting him go could mean losing him on waivers.
Wide receiver (5)
IN: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin
OUT: Jonathan Mingo (Injured Reserve), Traeshon Holden**, Jalen Cropper, Josh Kelly**, Jalen Brooks
Despite Holden being a promising undrafted rookie, the Cowboys don’t seem to be high enough on him to carry him on the 53-man roster. Ryan Flournoy gets the “last” spot in the position group as he appears to be in line for a big role on special teams. I also enjoyed his work blocking this preseason.
Tight end (3)
IN: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford
OUT: Princeton Fant, Tyler Neville**, Rivaldo Fairweather**, John Stephens Jr.
Three tight ends might not seem like a lot but keep in mind fullback Hunter Luepke is expected to line up in multiple positions. Tight end snaps are ahead for the third-year player out of North Dakota State.
Offensive line (10)
IN: Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker*, Terence Steele, Brock Hoffman, Nate Thomas, Asim Richards, T.J. Bass, Hakeem Adeniji
OUT: Geron Christian, La’el Collins, Ajani Cornelius*, Saahdiq Charles, Rob Jones (already on Injured Reserve), Nick Broeker
The Cowboys have a lot of “upside vs. experience” decisions here. Based on the fact that Adeniji didn’t play, I’m penciling him in over sixth-round rookie Ajani Cornelius. It seems like Dallas will have a dedicated backup left tackle (Nate Thomas) and a dedicated backup right tackle (Adeniji).
Defensive tackle (4)
IN: Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas, Jay Toia*, Perrion Winfrey
OUT: Mazi Smith, Denzel Daxon, Earnest Brown IV, Tommy Akingbesote*
The Cowboys sat 41 of their 91 rostered players in the preseason finale. One of them was Mazi Smith. The message was crystal clear: He needed to prove something because former first-round status wasn’t going to cut it. I didn’t see enough so in this prediction, I have them moving on from Smith. Heading into the preseason finale, multiple insiders signaled Smith could be a cut and his play in the preseason finale wasn’t enough to move the needle.
I’d expect a practice squad elevation for gameday at this position because the defense will be missing size beyond late-round rookie Jay Toia. There could be an outside addition here.
Defensive end / EDGE (6)
IN: Micah Parsons, Dante Fowler Jr., Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, Donovan Ezeiruaku*, James Houston
OUT: Payton Turner, Tyrus Wheat
James Houston didn’t take long to flash again with a big sack in the first drive of the game. I’ve got them going long at the position because of him. Simply put, he has been great rushing the passer. It will be tough to cut the veteran with the kind of film he put up. Brian Schottenheimer praised his work on special teams earlier in the week, which should help his case. Six defensive ends is too many for some but Dallas could make it work.
Linebacker (5)
IN: Marist Liufau, Jack Sanborn, Kenneth Murray, Damone Clark, Shemar James*
OUT: DeMarvion Overshown (PUP), Darius Harris, Buddy Johnson, Justin Barron**
No real surprises here. Sanborn and Liufau appear to be in line to start and Murray isn’t far behind. Clark and James are good depth. Overshown is expected to return to the field until late November.
Cornerback (5)
IN: DaRon Bland, Kaiir Elam, Caelen Carson, Troy Pride Jr., Zion Childress**
OUT: Trevon Diggs (PUP), Shavon Revel Jr. (Injured / NFI), Josh Butler (PUP), Kemon Hall, Robert Rochell, Andrew Booth, Michael Ojemudia, Matthew Christian, Israel Mukuamu
Injuries have hit the Cowboys CB room hard. If Trevon Diggs isn’t going to be ready for the first few weeks of the season, he’s likely starting the year on PUP. The wait for his return won’t be pretty. Undrafted rookie Zion Childress is a legit candidate to start in the slot, which would keep DaRon Bland and Kaiir Elam outside.
Safety (4)
IN: Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell
OUT: Alijah Clark**, Mike Smith**
No surprises at safety, where the Cowboys essentially head into 2025 with the same room as last year.
Specialists (4)
IN: Bryan Anger (P), Brandon Aubrey (K), Trent Sieg (LS), C.J. Goodwin (ace)
OUT: None
C.J. Goodwin could be a wildcard here. The Cowboys are comfortable releasing him to elevate him the first couple of games to save a roster spot. But he’s making the team. For sake of transparency, I’m giving him a 53-man roster spot for transparency.
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The plot thickens.
