Dallas Cowboys positional battles one week before cut day

NFL teams have to trim their rosters from the maximum 90 players down to 53 by the end of the day on Tuesday, August 27 - one week from today. With two preseason games in the books, the Cowboys have a bit more clarity on some of the positional battles that were hot in the beginning of training camp, but some things still aren’t so clear yet. The game against the Chargers this weekend will be the final determining factor in at least 35 Cowboys players’ futures.

Here’s where things stand at each position and the ongoing battles for the Dallas Cowboys a week ahead of the roster cutdown day.

Dallas Cowboys roster battles a week before cut day

Quarterbacks

Obviously Dallas has their starter in Dak Prescott, and before the Cowboys beat the Raiders in their second preseason game, it seemed like Cooper Rush would remain his primary backup, as Trey Lance really hadn’t done much of anything. However, on Saturday, he completed two touchdown drives and showed a lot of progress in general. There are two questions here now - did Lance do enough to surpass Cooper Rush as the QB2, and are the Cowboys willing to have three quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster?

Running Backs

We can probably go ahead and eliminate Conner and Peat from the mix. Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle seem to be the locks at RB1 and RB2, and Hunter Luepke (FB) is likely going to be a lock as well due to his abilities as a lead blocker, although it’s not a 100% lock either. After that, the real battle is among Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, and Royce Freeman.

Vaughn pushed his name back into the mix with his performance against the Raiders on Saturday, when he logged 34 rushing yards in just five attempts for a team-high 6.8 yards per carry. Freeman returned from a groin injury and logged 32 yards on six carries. Davis rushed five times for 14 yards and returned one kickoff for 14 yards.

Wide Receivers

Despite the CeeDee Lamb contract drama, he’s still going to be their WR1 come Week 1 of the regular season. Brandin Cooks is a lock behind him as the WR2, and after that, the comPetition is open. Lamb’s absence has given more opportunities to Tolbert and Brooks, who’ve maximized on them both in training camp and in the preseason. As Turpin is the return specialist, he’s not likely to be cut. Rookie Ryan Flournoy had a good Game on Saturday, which may see him staying on the roster next week. He and Cropper have been in the major battle for the WR6 spot, but Cropper had a drop and a fumble on special teams on Saturday that may have hurt his case. He and the others would need to do something pretty major if they want a chance at making it on the team.

Tight Ends

Jake Ferguson is the unquestionable TE1 in Dallas and Luke Schoonmaker seems to be a lock at TE2. The TE3 position, however, has not had a clear winner yet. The Cowboys have even been discussing using FB Hunter Luepke as a tight end. Stephens looks to be the potential winner of the battle, but his play has been limited so far so this next game will be a big factor. Spann-Ford could stick around solely due to his $245,000 salary guarantee.

Offensive Line

The interior O-line is doing fine. At center, the Cowboys have rookie Cooper Beebe and veteran Brock Hoffman. After Beebe’s impressive performance on Saturday, he’s likely earned the starting position. Veteran Hoffman will keep the backup spot, and Dakoda Shepley is likely to be cut. Rookie Tyler Guyton had an encouraging showing on Saturday as well and looks to be a solid player at tackle. With Edoga out due to injury, the Cowboys played Ball at left tackle and Waletzko played at right tackle. Richards took snaps at guard and his versatility will likely earn him a roster spot.

Defensive Line

As the Cowboys lost DE Sam Williams to a season-ending knee injury, they’ve made some major changes here recently. They acquired veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and defensive end Carl Lawson last week. Lawson could potentially be the one to provide the depth Dallas needs at pass rusher behind DE DeMarcus Lawrence. Fehoko’s switch to DE is not going so well - he’s recorded the second-most pass rushing snaps in the preseason and has zero pressures.

Linebackers

Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown, and Marist Liufau all look to be solid locks. After that, it’s a bit up in the air with the rest of this linebacker group. Wilson and Harvey have a chance to make the cut due to their special teams abilities.

Defensive Backs

There isn’t so much of a battle as just a need to cut down the roster. Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis are locks at cornerback. Carson is a rookie and he missed some time with a root canal, so his play in the final preseason game is important, but he has played well during training camp. Hall had an impressive preseason game last week with a pick 6, so he is in the mix as well.

The same can be said for the safety position, as it’s really just a matter of making cuts at this point. Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are sure bets. After that, a case could be made for the others. Israel Mukuami and Markquese Bell look to be on track to make it.

Specialists

There is no battle here and I don’t predict there will be any changes. They’ll keep Brandon Aubrey at kicker, Bryan Anger at punter, and Trent Sieg at long snapper.