The Dallas Cowboys stand to benefit in a major way from recent NFL rule change ahead of cutdown day (Update: They did in a different way)
This will really help the Cowboys this year.
UPDATE 5:55 p.m. ET: After posting this article, Jeremy Fowler from ESPN reported the Cowboys will place rookie RB Phil Mafah on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury. He will be designated to return. In other words, the Cowboys will benefit from the rule described below, but it won’t be with both players I considered candidates for IR in my breakdown.
This way, the Cowboys will likely manage to keep veteran RB Miles Sanders on the 53-man roster while also avoiding risking losing Phil Mafah to the waiver wire. It’s a savvy move by the coaching staff and front office.
Mafah played in every preseason game. He dealt with a shoulder injury as a Senior at Clemson before declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Dallas Cowboys’ path to an initial roster has begun. The front office has already made multiple cuts, and by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, they need to sit at the 53-player limit. To get there, they don’t need to solely rely on releasing or waiving players.
And you shouldn’t expect them to. Thanks to a rule change that went into effect in 2024, teams can now place two players on Injured Reserve on cutdown day and designate them to return. Although they must miss a minimum of four games, it allows for roster maneuvering that wasn’t an option before. Prior to last year’s rule change, teams had to initially carry players on the 53-man roster for a full day before moving them to IR. Otherwise, placing players on IR before the cutdown deadline was a season-ending move. Thus, teams had to temporarily fit injured guys on the team and later place them on IR.
In other words, the change makes teams’ lives easier during the difficult time of cuts. Below are two players who appear realistic candidates to land on Dallas’ Injured Reserve while freeing up a couple of roster spots before the start of the regular season.
WR Jonathan Mingo
Mingo hoped to battle for the WR3 spot on the Cowboys offense, but a knee injury (PCL) suffered in the preseason threw a wrench into his plans. According to initial reports last week, the timetable for his return ranges between four and six weeks. By the time the season starts on Sept. 4, a little over two weeks will be in the books.
That would still leave a minimum of two additional weeks, plus more, assuming Mingo’s rehab doesn’t fall in a best-case scenario. He makes plenty of sense for a spot on Injured Reserve.
CB Caelen Carson
The second-year cornerback is also dealing with a knee injury (hyperextension) that’s kept him off the field for the entirety of the preseason. There is less information on his timetable to return, but he didn’t participate in Monday’s practice. Without a ramp-up period soon, it appears unlikely he will be ready for Week 1.
Depending on how much time separates Carson and a return to the gridiron, he also looks like a natural candidate for an IR spot. With Trevon Diggs being activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list, there’s less urgency for Carson to return.
This rule change gives the Cowboys a big win
Carson and Mingo might be projected backups, but they’re important ones. Mingo was in the running for a starting job at wide receiver. Meanwhile, a healthy Carson could be the “next man up” at cornerback, be it outside or in the slot. His versatility is a big asset for the Cowboys’ defense.
This rule allows Dallas to safely remove them from the active roster while knowing they could come back and play significant roles for the team.
Dallas Cowboys News
Dallas Cowboys roster cuts tracker 2025: Team kicks off path to 53-man roster ahead of Week 1 of the regular season (Update: Cuts done)
And we’re off.
