The preseason is officially over. Over the next few days, the Dallas Cowboys will work tirelessly to figure out the players that will make up their 53-man roster for the 2025 season. Now, initially, things might look a little off as there will be some “roster gymnastics” to move injured players to IR, so expect things to change over the course of the week. The team will also look at players on other rosters as they continue to search for depth at key positions, so expect some new faces to join the team as well
as the Cowboys exchange surplus for shortages via last-minute trades. Here is our best guess at the Cowboys roster and practice squad candidates.
QUARTERBACK (2)
Dak Prescott
Joe Milton
Practice squad: Will Grier (veteran)
It was nice to see second-year player Joe Milton end the preseason on a high note. He’s clearly the team’s ride-or-die backup quarterback. The team may choose to carry three quarterbacks if they want to keep Will Grier, but with roster spots limited, sticking with only two seems more reasonable.
RUNNING BACK (4)
Javonte Williams
Jaydon Blue
Hunter Luepke
Phil Mafah
Practice squad: Miles Sanders (veteran)
It’s difficult to figure out what the Cowboys might do here. Miles Sanders seems like a favorite to land the final spot in the running back room, but it would make more sense to keep the rookie, Phil Mafah. If they feel like Mafah isn’t likely to be poached from the practice squad, then keeping Sanders could be the direction they go. With the speed/power variety that the two rookies, Jaydon Blue and Mafah, offer, retaining both would make a lot of sense, especially since they come with four years of control at a low cost.
TIGHT END (3)
Jake Ferguson
Luke Schoonmaker
Brevyn Spann-Ford
Practice squad: John Stephens Jr. and Princeton Fant
This one hasn’t changed all month. Three players make up the core of the tight end room, while a slew of undrafted free agents just wait patiently by the wayside. We could see a surprise here if one of the UDFA guys sneaks on the team, but for the most part, this feels relatively safe.
WIDE RECEIVER (5)
CeeDee Lamb
George Pickens
KaVontae Turpin
Jalen Tolbert
Ryan Flournoy
Practice squad: Jalen Brooks and Traeshon Holden
Jonathan Mingo’s injury has opened up an opportunity for one of the bottom-roster receivers to sneak onto the team. Choosing between Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy is extremely difficult, as both players bring a lot of fight and contribute on special teams. A recent surge combined with an extra year of team control is why the second-year player, Flournoy, gets the nod, but honestly, it could go either way.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10)
Tyler Smith
Terence Steele
Cooper Beebe
Tyler Booker
Tyler Guyton
Brock Hoffman
Nate Thomas
T.J. Bass
Hakeem Adeniji
Asim Richards
Practice squad: Ajani Cornelius
Bold prediction: Saahdiq Charles is traded!
With all the injuries the team has endured along the offensive line in recent years, it would behoove them to go deep here. And as luck would have it, they have some nice depth along the offensive line. Free agent Hakeem Adeniji has been a pleasant surprise, and his roster spot looks safe after not even suiting up in the last preseason game. The tricky part will be reserves Asim Richards and seventh-round rookie Ajani Cornelius as the team chooses between depth right now vs. potential upside. It’s also worth mentioning that free agent Saahdiq Charles belongs on an NFL roster. Don’t be surprised if they shop him around to a team that needs help in the trenches.
DEFENSIVE END (6)
Micah Parsons
Dante Fowler
Marshawn Kneeland
Donovan Ezeiruaku
Payton Turner
James Houston
Practice squad: Tyrus Wheat
Bold prediction: Sam Williams is traded!
The Cowboys are super deep at defensive end to the point where someone good has got to go. We have been beating the drum for a trade to exchange extra talent on the edge for help elsewhere. Last month, we explained why Sam Williams would make a good trade candidate. The continued strong play of James Houston makes it hard to leave him off the roster, so we won’t. Tyrus Wheat is always undervalued and could be a surprise selection for the third-straight year, but it just feels like they are too deep this time around.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE (4)
Osa Odighizuwa
Solomon Thomas
Perrion Winfrey
Outside Free Agent
Practice squad: Mazi Smith, Earnest Brown, and Denzel Daxon (International Pathway Program)
Does the Mazi Smith tenure end after just two seasons? This projection says yes, as the former first-round draft pick just doesn’t seem to have the spark required for a Brian Schottenheimer football team. Smith has not looked good all camp and hasn’t done much in the preseason unless the other team forgets to block him. Considering he’s been playing deep into all three preseason games and still hasn’t produced, it’s time for them to cut their losses and move on. One guy who does provide a spark is Perrion Winfrey. He has had a great summer and has earned a spot on the team. The Cowboys still need help at nose tackle, so look for them to bring in a big-bodied veteran real soon.
LINEBACKER (5)
Marist Liufau
Kenneth Murray Jr.
Jack Sanborn
Shemar James
Damone Clark
Practice squad: Darius Harris (veteran) and Justin Barron
Nothing has changed here. Rookie Shemar James has looked great, and the team has a solid five to kick off the season. That group will even be better once DeMarvion Overshown returns. Undrafted rookie Justin Barron continues to impress and should make the practice squad.
CORNERBACK (6)
Trevon Diggs
DaRon Bland
Kaiir Elam
Andrew Booth
Israel Mukuamu
Kemon Hall
Practice squad: Zion Childress and Michael Ojemudia
Bold prediction: Player swap for a corner from another team
The Cowboys will start the season a little banged up at corner, but hopefully, it will be short-lived as veteran Trevon Diggs is expected back early in the season. The team may still look for help in the form of a veteran presence that could be found if they trade away the extra depth in the trenches. UDFA Zion Childress may replace Kemon Hall as the final cornerback, as these two are neck and neck in a heated roster battle.
SAFETY (4)
Malik Hooker
Donovan Wilson
Markquese Bell
Juanyeh Thomas
Practice squad: Alijah Clark
No changes here. Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas are solid backups and play special teams. UDFA Alijah Clark could sneak in on the practice squad.
SPECIAL TEAMS (4)
Brandon Aubrey
Bryan Anger
Trent Sieg
C.J. Goodwin
The team’s four specialists are safe. There is nothing to see here. Note that players like C.J. Goodwin or Trent Sieg may be left off the initial roster to make room for an injured player who must be on the roster for one day before they can put them on injured reserve. But that is just a formality and they will both be added back later in the week.
Here is a current 53-man roster projection. This time around, we have included the confidence level in percentages to get a feel for how close some of these battles are. Note – teams are allowed 16 practice-squad players (17 with a player in the International Pathway Program), with up to six of them being a “veteran” player with more than two accrued seasons (indicated by a triangle).
