The majority of the Dallas Cowboys practice squad for 2026 is set for the moment, with the big name to watch as a potential returnee being backup QB Joe Milton. If the team is able to get Milton onto the practice squad, it would bring their total up to 15 out of a possible 16 spots. Their extra international player pathway spot to potentially build the practice squad up to as high as 17 players is already filled with DE Adedayo Odeleye.
We are tracking every move of the practice squad in real time
right here, but now it is time for some quick analysis on the 15 players already confirmed to the PS, and how they could help this team on gamedays if/when they get the call up to the active roster.
RB Israel Abanikanda
The Cowboys’ initial 53-man roster had a real lack of running back depth, but the team has been hard at work remedying this ever since the initial cutdown deadline. Emari Demarcado is the newest addition to the active roster out of the backfield, and Israel Abanikanda has made it to the practice squad.
Dallas keeping Javonte Williams and Malik Davis as their one-two punch paints a very clear picture of the type of back they want to feature the most, and Abanikanda in a lesser sense has some of the same physicality and north/south ability as this duo. This is exactly the type of reason practice squad positions exist, and having the ability to call on Abanikanda in an emergency situation is good work by Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams to protect the depth of their offensive approach.
LB Justin Barron
Like Abanikanda, linebacker Justin Barron is also a returnee to the practice squad after spending time with the team in 2025. Barron, who did not flash as much as some fans had hoped for in the preseason, was left off the roster at linebacker in favor of DeMarvion Overshown, Shemar James, rookie Jaishawn Barham, and trade acquisition Dee Winters.
Of these four current inside backers for the Cowboys defense, Barron likely profiles most similarly to Shemar James, who also hasn’t taken the strides to fully grasp a projected spot on gamedays. The most likely role Barron will help this team on a week-to-week basis will be in practice settings, as a smart coverage linebacker that can help the scout defense still play with structure and skill.
Should a player like James struggle in his role or Overshown gets hurt though, look for Barron to be elevated and at very least see the field on special teams which he did for two games late in the season a year ago.
DT Tommy Dunn
The Cowboys want to play their money players at defensive tackle, which makes perfect sense seeing as they now have multiple such players after devaluing the position for so long. The trio of Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, and Otito Ogbonnia didn’t leave room for other ‘bucket of dirt’ type tackles to make this roster, but when it comes to needing a backup on the practice squad, Dallas opted for UDFA newcomer Tommy Dunn.
Playing his college ball at Kansas, Dunn was a standout in the preseason, playing with a good motor, flashing the ability to move gap to gap, push the pocket a little bit, and most importantly not get knocked off the ball against the run.
As all fans already know, the NFL season is a long battle of attrition, and depth in the trenches is going to need to be called on. While the Cowboys likely won’t feel great about their defensive interior if Dunn is playing extended snaps in a real game, he is certainly a player that could be in a rotation with enough physical traits to not get exposed.
WR Jordan Hudson
Another undrafted newcomer to the practice squad, Jordan Hudson now has an even cooler story coming out of the final preseason home game versus the Saints. Going from a relatively unknown, longest of longshots at wide receiver to star of the night, Hudson took on the Camden Brown role for one night and became the UDFA receiver that catches the eye.
Doing so with his last preseason chance as a local prospect out of TCU and SMU would have been a cool enough way to end his story with the team for now, but instead it was enough for Hudson to continue developing with the hometown team on the practice squad.
Both Brown and Jonathan Mingo made the active roster at receiver, so the journey for any PS pass catcher to make it to gamedays this season is an arduous one. Hudson should still help in plenty of practice situations as a quarterback friendly target that runs clean routes and flashed some contested catch ability.
OT Marcellus Johnson
When it comes to why some Cowboys fans are a bit worried about the state of the offensive line depth, the team could certainly use more experience in the backup positions across the board. Marcellus Johnson is a name some fans may be hearing for the first time right here and now, and for good reason as he’s never appeared in a regular season game.
Johnson is a career practice squad member so far, playing collegiately for both Eastern Michigan and Missouri, and starting his pro journey with the New York Giants in 2024. Between 2024-25 Johnson bounced between the Giants and Vikings, and then the Colts at the end of 2025 before landing with the Cowboys, now returning to the PS for 2026.
A player willing to fight things out for a chance at the dream of appearing in the NFL for as long as Johnson has is admirable, and while the Cowboys have explored all options at tackle this offseason including making a recent trade for Broderick Jones, Johnson could get a look at some point – but it would likely come in a dire situation for the offensive line as a whole.
DB Derion Kendrick
Derion Kendrick spent time with both the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and NFC championship participant Los Angeles Rams in 2025, before signing with the Cowboys this offseason. Kendrick looked like a natural fit in Christian Parker’s defense at times this training camp and preseason, capable of playing some cornerback, nickel, or safety.
The Cowboys valued special teams ability in their final roster decisions in the secondary, and even though Kendrick has this, he’s positioned on the practice squad for now. Ameer Speed is the surprise of the active group at cornerback, and Caelen Carson is the carryover from past defensive schemes that feels a bit out of place, so there are potential paths for Kendrick to see the field this season.
As cliché as it is to say, there really is no such thing as having too many capable cornerbacks, and the Cowboys have a good player to continue developing in this way with Kendrick.
WR Anthony Smith
This year’s seventh-round pick Anthony Smith came to his first training camp with the Cowboys and ran into a buzz saw when it came to making the roster. A top three of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Ryan Flournoy is suffocating when it comes to how many snaps are available for others.
Making matters worse for the rookie Smith, the Cowboys finally saw Jonathan Mingo have a bit of a breakout this offseason, as well as UDFA Camden Brown stealing the show of the preseason. The situation at WR has put Smith on the practice squad, where his speed will be valuable to practice certain looks.
Smith has a long way to go when it comes to being a viable enough player to get touches in this ultra-experienced offense for the Cowboys, but is a capable gadget player with strong hands as a receiver that Dallas is willing to continue developing in hopes of hitting on one of just two 2026 draft picks spent on offense.
TE Michael Trigg
The Cowboys went with the chalkiest of chalk depth charts at tight end, with Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, and Luke Schoonmaker and making the cut. The most serious contender to grab one of these spots away in the offseason came from priority UDFA Michael Trigg, but a late injury ended this chance, and opened the door for Trigg to be a PS stash.
Like Smith, Trigg has an un-coachable trait that is valuable in practice settings, his size. He also had a knack for finding the end zone in these practice situations in Oxnard, so if the Cowboys are potentially looking for new wrinkles in the red zone as the season wears on, and Trigg is able to get and stay healthy, he just may get a shot.
LB Isaiah Land
Pass rush is probably one of the hardest things to simulate in practice without real contact to the quarterback allowed, but yet this is where pure rusher Isaiah Land finds himself for the second year in a row. Land did not do nearly enough in the preseason off the edge to beat out any of the big names that made the outside linebacker depth chart for Dallas, and similarly will face an uphill battle to get a gameday call up.
In a real pinch though, this is a player with good straight line speed off the edge, and you just never know when one play where the defense turns up the heat on an opposing QB can swing a game, something Land will be hoping to do some day having last appeared in a regular season game in week 14 of last season for the Cowboys at the Lions.
OL Nick Leverett
Coming back to offensive line depth, Nick Leverett is a player that was with Klayton Adams with the Arizona Cardinals, making their practice squad in 2024 and later appearing in one game for them. Leverett is a swing interior player, where the Cowboys have T.J. Bass as a trusted player gaining experience in this role on the active roster.
After Bass, there isn’t exactly a whole lot of experience in Ajani Cornelius (a former college tackle). Leverett should be considered a player that needs to stay game ready for the Cowboys to maintain OL depth.
DL Adedayo Odeleye (International Player Pathway)
Born in Nigeria and playing college football in the United Kingdom, Adedayo Odeleye is back with the Cowboys practice squad for 2026, his third NFL team. Starting with the Texans from 2022-23, then the Ravens in 2024, Odeleye gets a bit of a “freebee” spot on the practice squad as he doesn’t count against the 16 allowed players because of the international player pathway.
The Cowboys have made a massive shift in philosophy when it comes to what they’re looking for from down linemen in Christian Parker’s multiple 3-4 scheme. At the depth spots, they also already picked players with pass rush upside like Jonathan Bullard and LT Overton. The deck is stacked pretty significantly against Odeleye breaking through to make a gameday this season, but developing international players is always a fun side-story to follow.
LB Curtis Robinson
Yet another coverage-first linebacker to pair with PS member Justin Barron, Curtis Robinson is a nice player to still have around. Robinson started three games near the end of the season for the perpetually banged up 49ers defense last season, and appeared in a total of 14 including these between defense and special teams.
This is a player that has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time to make plays on the ball, which like we’ve said will be valuable to test the offense during game prep in scout situations, but could mean a whole lot more if the Cowboys have any major injuries at linebacker and Robinson is promoted to the roster.
CB Reddy Steward
One of my seven surprise cuts, Reddy Steward still has a spot on the Cowboys practice squad. A lot of the same analysis about Derion Kendrick goes for Steward, as this is yet another player to keep around that can play the nickel and also on special teams.
Steward probably has as strong of a case as any player to be called up at some point this season, and will serve as a litmus test for Christian Parker’s fast-track coaching ability with defensive backs. Noticing Steward as a capable defender through the context of how atrocious the rest of the Cowboys defense was in 2025, and seeing what type of role he can earn in 2026 under Parker, are two entirely different things, with the latter being a way more exciting thing to think about if this defense has the best possible chance to make a one year turnaround.
DT Elijah Garcia
Garcia went undrafted out of college in the 2022 draft and eventually signed with the Los Angeles Rams. He played collegiately at Rice. Since coming into the league, Garcia has played sparingly (17 games, 3 starts) and spent most of his time bouncing around to various practice squads. Most recently he was with the Carolina Panthers.
Garcia is one of three defensive tackles on the list, creating some cushion as the Cowboys only kept five players to fit in their front-three spots in Christian Parker’s 3-4 defense. Garcia acts as an insurance policy as he has a couple of sacks in his limited playing time in the NFL, but mainly has experience.
