When you examine the Dallas Cowboys roster, it’s hard not to like the moves they have made since the end of last season. They had a sensible shopping spree in free agency, landing a proven talent in Jalen Thompson, and during the draft retooled their defense to improve their pass rush.
They retained two of their most important scoring weapons in Brandon Aubrey and George Pickens. The Cowboys must be doing something right as Las Vegas seems to have taken notice. Right now, the odds have the Cowboys at
over/under 9.5 wins this season, which would place them on the cusp of returning to the postseason.
When you look at the roster from top to bottom, there aren’t many gaping holes. In fact, when you look closer, the depth is better than it was in more than a few areas. This makes veteran cuts before the season a little more difficult.
The cutdown deadline has reportedly been moved up to Sunday, August 30th instead of the following Tuesday as we’ve recently seen. Although it’s only a few days earlier, that leaves the coaches less time to make some hard decisions.
When it comes to trimming the roster after the preseason, no one is ever fully satisfied with the team’s decisions, and cuts tend to cause a stir, but hypothetically, who would those players be? Which players would raise eyebrows if they didn’t make the team entering Week 1?
Here are three stunning cuts that we’ll try to make a case for. We didn’t pick the easy cuts, we chose players we would all be shocked about, like when the team cut Dan Bailey. And we’re definitely not saying all three could happen, but just maybe one of them possibly could. Let’s go.
Dee Winters
The Cowboys cutting Dee Winters before he takes the field in the opener would certainly leave some taken aback. Dallas made a draft-day trade for the productive inside linebacker, and some were puzzled as to why the San Francisco 49ers would part with him, considering how well he played in Fred Warner’s absence.
If the Cowboys were to make such a bold move, it would be because the Cowboys love what they see from DeMarvion Overshown and Jaishawn Barham in the middle of their defense. That would also mean that Shemar James and Justin Barron, who the team paid just under $3M to as an undrafted free agent last season, made significant strides in their second years. In terms of size, Winters is significantly smaller than his other inside linebacker counterparts. If the Dallas were to cut Winters, it would save nearly $4M in cap space and carry zero dead cap charge.
KaVontae Turpin
This one would be a shocker because the savings aren’t that much. If he is designated a post-June 1st cut, it would save the Cowboys $3.4M. The move would most likely be the intersection of two different aspects.
The first would be a logjam at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Sitting atop the depth chart you have George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. After them, Ryan Flournoy, and then a host of young guys and veterans. Although Turpin is good for an explosive highlight on offense occasionally, he isn’t as polished a wide receiver as he is a return specialist. If Dallas chooses to maximize the wide receiver position with all more natural pass catchers, that squeezes out Turpin.
Secondly, Jaydon Blue could step up in year two to take a more prominent role overall. He ended the season on a high note and so the team may want to increase his touches wherever they can. With the new kickoff rules, he’ll get more chances to get returns and showcase his speed.
Despite being named a second-team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl, Turpin’s kick return average dipped slightly. Again, this would be shocking because who becomes the punt returner if Turpin is cut? Jaydon Blue likely steps into that role as well, as he took part in punt return duties during practices last summer. It would be a long shot if the Cowboys cut Turpin, but most certainly stunning.
Malik Hooker
Currently, the Cowboys have a deep safety room that features their dynamic top draft choice, Caleb Downs. It would be crazy to thin out that room by cutting one of the longtime veterans, right? Well, yes. However, while steady, Malik Hooker has been just okay. Hard to imagine, but he’s already had a longer career with the Cowboys than he did with the Indianapolis Colts.
In that span, Hooker has had only six interceptions and none last year. In fact, last season he allowed the second-worst passer rating of his career in coverage at 131.7. Add P.J. Locke to the equation, who has ties to Christian Parker, and you can see where potentially Hooker gets overtaken somewhat. Alijah Clark is another player who contributes on special teams but could also see his role expanded.
The move would cause some added surprise value since the team reworked his contract at the start of the new league year. Cutting Hooker would cost the Cowboys some dead money, but he’s only on the books for the remainder of this season.
If you were forced to choose one, which one of these would be more likely to happen?
