Being an undrafted free agent means you have a steep hill to climb, not just to make the roster, but even getting regular reps in camp can be hard. UDFAs have to work harder, have fewer mistakes, and ultimately stand out with the few reps they get, making their journey to the 53-man roster excruciatingly difficult.
However, some have made it; Dallas fans need to look no further than their own Tony Romo. This year, we’ll look at a group of players who have hope to make the 53-man roster going into
the preseason.
TE Michael Trigg
The tight end room is crowded in Big D, and it’s safe to say the training camp battles are just beginning, but we know that Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford are locks to make the roster. Spann-Ford is a plus blocker with elite size, and he has put that on display thus far, and Ferg is, well, Ferg.
But looking beyond those two spots, Luke Schoonmaker has suddenly been thrust into “could be cut” conversations, and it’s because Michael Trigg has made an impression. Trigg’s work ethic stands out, but more than that, his ability to catch the ball is at a level that is making the coaching staff take notice.
With that said, Dallas values blocking TEs very highly, much like they value blocking running backs. Unless Trigg makes a huge leap in blocking, an area he still needs to improve, Schoonmaker could very well make the grade once again.
UDFA RB
It would appear that the Cowboys are still looking for something else at the running back position behind Javonte Williams. On Monday, August 9, Dallas held three tryouts in one day for the RB position. Jashaun Corbin, Hassan Haskins and Zamir White. They signed Corbin and then waived ex-Tulsa RB Dominic Richardson.
These moves don’t sound like solely a search for a camp body. It seems that the search is on for somebody to step up and raise the competition. Jaydon Blue has had some nice plays in camp, and Phil Mafah has had his moments, but the search was still on at the position.
The Cowboys seemed poised to have answers at every level of that position, and so far, they haven’t found exactly what they want. There is going to be a path for Corbin to make this roster, albeit a very difficult one; he has to show he can do a little more than Phil Mafah and Malik Davis.
WR Camden Brown
Camden Brown is quickly emerging as someone who might snatch the last receiver spot in camp, much to the chagrin of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jonathan Mingo. The former Georgia Southern wide receiver has rapidly played his way into the roster conversation with a string of highly impressive practices and some amazing catches that have caught people’s attention. This includes hauling back-to-back touchdown catches from backup quarterback Sam Howell in consecutive practices.
At 6’2″ and 205 pounds, Brown is using his catch radius to his advantage in practice. So far, he has showcased incredible body control and boundary awareness, something that Mingo or Valdes-Scantling have not done since the start of camp, and with both of their stocks trending down, it looks like Brown may have a real shot at that final receiver spot in Dallas.
