With the preseason done for the 2025 offseason, the Dallas Cowboys are focused on cutting down their roster to 53-men prior to the start of the season. A good portion of the roster is pretty easy to project, but here are five players who could be surprisingly cut in the next few days.
5. Payton Turner, EDGE
Payton Turner signed a 1 year, $2.5M contract with the Dallas Cowboys in March. The former first-round pick was viewed as a reclamation project for the Cowboys, He’s had a slow start to his NFL
career after being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints.
Turner was thought to be added to help with the Cowboys struggling run defense, but has since been buried on the depth chart by Marshawn Kneeland, Sam Williams, Dante Fowler, James Houston, and Donovan Ezieraku. Turner has had a rather quiet offseason with the Cowboys.
4. Miles Sanders, RB
When the Cowboys signed both Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders this offseason, many thought that only one of them would make the final roster for the Cowboys. The Cowboys have penciled in Williams as the starter since he has been held out of preseason action.
With Jaydon Blue making his preseason debut on in week three of the preseason and Phil Mafah impressing, the Cowboys may elect to go with one veteran and two rookies to carry the load for the Cowboys in 2025. Given Sanders contract, the Cowboys do not have any ties to Sanders financially making a divorce an easy separation for the team. It is tough to imagine the Cowboys carrying more than four running backs after final cutdowns, and with the state of the Cowboy running back room heading into next year, they may elect to roll with Williams, Blue, Mafah, and Hunter Luepke for 2025.
3. Traeshon Holden, WR
Unlike the other names on this list, Traeshon Holden not making the Cowboys’ 53-man roster would have nothing to do with his play this offseason. Holden has impressed in practices and in preseason games so far in his limited action.
Unfortunately for Holden, the Cowboys are extremely deep at wide receiver with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Tolbert, Ryan Flournoy, Jonathan Mingo (a potential IR-candidate), and Jalen Brooks. The Cowboys would love to stash Holden on the practice squad if possible, which may be a reason we have not seen much of him in preseason matchups so far.
2. Luke Schoonmaker, TE
There has been some light rumblings that Luke Schoonmaker’s roster spot could be in jeopardy. Schoonmaker, a former second-round pick in 2023, has struggled to get going in Dallas since being drafted out of Michigan. In his two seasons with the Cowboys, Schoonmaker has hauled in 35 receptions for 306 yards, and three touchdowns.
Schoonmaker has been tagged as a “Mike McCarthy pick” and with almost an entire new coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys could look to go in a different direction at TE2. Schoonmaker is currently in the concussion protocol, which could make things a little more difficult when cutting down the roster, but from some light whispers in the last few weeks, Schoonmaker does not seem to be a sure lock to make the Cowboys roster like many assumed coming into this offseason.
1. Mazi Smith, iDL
It has been a rough first two years for the Cowboys 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith. While his play on the field has been disappointing, the one thing saving him (besides his draft investment) from being a for sure cut is the Cowboys lack of talent and bodies at the 1-tech. Smith has struggled to show any signs of development heading into year three, struggling in practices and preseason games so far.
The other concerning thing for Smith is he has played a lot in the preseason, with most of the starters getting very little to no work. The lack of bodies would make moving on a bit risky, but through three offseasons, Smith has showed little signs of hope that he can develop into a reliable starter along the interior for the Cowboys, even after multiple scheme changes and coaching changes to help jumpstart his career.
