This is the perfect time of the year for thought-provoking exercises like this. What would happen to the Dallas Cowboys if the NFL decided to create an expansion team? 

It has happened before and it means there would be an expansion Draft, an exercise where the 33rd team of the league would take players from other teams' rosters. Naturally, to avoid teams being stripped from their top talent, they'd get to "protect" the majority of their roster. 
My friend and colleague Wendell Ferreira is running an NFL-wide mock expansion draft to make the offseason a little bit more fun and to do that, he asked the A to Z Sports staff to put on our team's GM cap. That means I have to choose 12 Cowboys players to leave "unprotected." Let's dive into the full rules. 

1. Each current NFL team has to leave 12 players unprotected.,
2. ⁠Players with 0 or 1 accrued seasons are automatically protected and can't be on the list. Players with no-trade clauses can't be added either (not like I was planning to leave Dak Prescott unprotected).
3. ⁠If the player is taken, the expansion team will absorb both his future salaries and signing bonus prorations, so it can be a useful tool to unload veteran contracts. 
4. ⁠The list is final, meaning that teams can't withdraw a player after another one has been selected.,
5. ⁠The expansion team can get a maximum of two players from each NFL team, and a maximum of 40 total players.

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With Ferreira's rules in mind, based on historical expansion drafts from the NFL, I chose 12 Cowboys players to leave unprotected. Keep in mind, I'm choosing from the current 90-man roster and not a projected 53. That means the majority of players on the list aren't exactly staples of the franchise. 

QB Will Grier

Grier was signed by the Cowboys before they acquired Joe Milton via a trade. Though I could see Brian Schottenheimer wanting three quarterbacks in the room, I'd say it's worth the risk. 

RB Miles Sanders

It's true, they just signed Sanders in March. But since then, they also drafted rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. Considering the latter can't be exposed due to the rules, the veteran loses the tiebreaker. 

LB Damone Clark

I'm seriously intrigued about the linebacker position and Clark's future. He went from starting 17 games to riding the bench most of 2024 under Mike Zimmer's staff. New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus brought in Jack Sanborn and Kenneth Murray this offseason. I could see Clark being on his way out in August. 

DL Earnest Brown IV 

The EDGE room has become a crowded one and I don't see Brown IV as being a likely 53-man roster member. It's difficult to know where some of these players stand with a new staff.  

CB Troy Pride Jr. 

Pride Jr. played very few snaps for the Cowboys in 2024 and contributed even less on special teams. I don't think the front office would protect him.

TE John Stephens 

This has to be one of the toughest ones but we have to get to 12 players somehow. Stephens was on his way to making the 53-man roster as a UDFA in 2023 but a season-ending injury ruined that. Since then, the Cowboys found another UDFA standout in Brevyn Spann-Ford and added a couple more this offseason. It was close to happening for Stephens but now he's a roster longshot. 

OL Hakeem Adeniji

This is a tricky one as Adeniji was just signed but the Cowboys added multiple linemen in the NFL Draft so there will be tough cuts there. 

EDGE Tyrus Wheat 

Similarly to Brown IV, Wheat is unlikely to fit in an increasingly crowded room of pass rushers. He's on a one-year deal so it makes sense. 

LB Buddy Johnson, LB Darius Harris

Like Clark, these two are part of a crowded room. Keep in mind, the expansion team can only do two players per NFL team so it's not like the Cowboys would be left without linebacker bodies for training camp. 

CB Andrew Booth Jr. 

Booth Jr. was a Mike Zimmer addition and he didn't do great on the field in 2024. He's probably one of the cornerbacks the Cowboys would be willing to risk. 

OT Matt Waletzko

I could see the Cowboys going a different route given the need for linemen in camp but I don't see Waletzko cracking the 53-man roster this season. 

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