After more than seven days of Cowboys camp, has your projected roster changed at all? After the Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 training camp commenced little than a week ago, we have already learned a lot about player performances and witnessed a regrettable injury.
Now would be a good time to review our projected 53-man roster and make any required modifications.
Naturally, the greatest story to far has been the season-ending knee injury that sidelined DE Sam Williams. Dallas signed two free agents as prospective roster additions as a result of Williams’ absence,
which was a devastating blow for the franchise and the player. We’ll have to wait and see if Al-Quadin Muhammad and Shaka Toney can establish themselves right away or if they are just camp bodies.
Aside from such development, there have been a lot of other positive and negative reports about the players’ work at camp. Have these been sufficient to alter our forecasts in any way?
OFFENSE (25)
Quarterback (3)
Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Trey Lance
We’re inserting Rush back in now, having last week contemplated Dallas’s option to play with only Prescott and Lance. It’s encouraging to see how we can still do the arithmetic with three quarterbacks, to start.
Furthermore, Rush still seems to be the greatest choice for a backup quarterback as he has outperformed Lance thus far.
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Though there is still time for this to alter, Lance needs to get going right away. Some have brought up Prescott’s own 2016 camp problems, pointing out that as a fourth-round rookie, we didn’t really see what he was made of until the preseason.
Even though this is Lance’s first Cowboys camp, he is a four-year veteran who cannot afford to still be going through growing pains.
Running Back (4)
Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn
Hunter Luepke (FB
In spite of unimpressive reports of Zeke’s appearance thus far, we will continue to use this projection in the interim. Elliott may not always reach real-game scenarios, but when he does, his value will be more apparent.
A changeover might occur if Royce Freeman can perform comparable tasks and has a more athletic appearance, which would make sense given his lower NFL mileage. Luepke might take over in that capacity and let Dallas stick with just three backs.
Wide Receiver (6)
CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert
KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy
We bumped Brooks at the start of camp after Flournoy’s hype from the spring camps, but so far in Oxnard it’s been all Brooks in that matchup. And now Tyron Billy-Johnson, a 28-year-old prospect from last year’s practice squad, is another WR standout.
Flournoy still has time to get his hype train going again and has youth on his side compared to Billy-Johnson. But if the Cowboys only keep five receivers then it probably won’t matter.
Tight End (3)
Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, John Stephens
We had to cut somebody in order to retain three quarterbacks and six wide receivers, which meant that Brevyn Spann-Ford lost his roster place from the previous prediction. In addition to Hunter Luepke, who can play as a smaller TE in some sets, Dallas should be able to carry him and Peyton Hendershot on the practice squad and deploy them as required on game days.
Offensive Line (9)
Tyler Smith, Zack Martin, Terence Steele
Tyler Guyton, Brock Hoffman, Cooper Beebe
T.J. Bass, Asim Richards, Chuma Edoga
The sole alteration to this group is the addition of Nathan Thomas, a seventh-round pick that Dallas can add to the practice squad, in place of Edoga.
Edoga still adds a wealth of experience to the depth chart, even while we keep the possibility open that he may be cut if he isn’t starting, which right now looks to be the case without injury. Dallas still appears to view him as their swing man for the time being as they have kept him in the starting lineup as a left tackle.
DEFENSE (25)
Defensive End (6)
Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, and DeMarcus Lawrence Tyrus Wheat, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Chauncey Golston Muhammad is the most productive of the two free agent additions; he will have six sacks for the Colts in 2021.
Toney and Micah Parsons were teammates in college, but in his two NFL seasons, Toney hasn’t accomplished anything noteworthy. Muhammad is the better choice if there is only one of them, even though both could succeed.
We benched second-year DE Villiami Fehoko in favor of Golston following reports of his difficult camp debut. Fehoko’s ability to move inside and his potential to be a victim of the defense regime change made him seem more appropriate for Dan Quinn’s plan.
However, the same could be said for Golston, so maybe Mike Zimmer decides not to keep any of them.
Defensive Tackle (4)
Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith
Justin Rogers, Carl Davis
Smith seems to be having a lot of ups and downs, but it’s clear that he’s getting on the roster. Although this group is still small and may see a new member near final cuts, it looks like rookie Justin Rogers and seasoned Carl Davis are securing their seats. Thus far, these four seem to be claiming jobs by default.
Linebacker (5)
Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown
Marist Liufau, Willie Harvey Jr.
They might not need to have a fifth player here if Parsons continues to earn playing time as an off-ball linebacker, but Williams’ injury may force Parsons to return to the line of scrimmage more frequently. Willie Harvey continues to lead the dark horses for the time being. But the team brought back veteran Damien Wilson for a reason—he’s had some good moments.
Cornerback (6)
Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis
Caelen Carson, Israel Mukuamu, Josh Butler
It comes down to the final spot or two on the depth chart, with Carson now assured of a berth on the squad. Butler and Mukuamu appear to be competing for that, both providing position flex as additional safety measures. Both have a strong chance of making it, which would allow Dallas to have just four genuine safeties while still having a large depth of CBs. Over the season, that usually turns out to be useful.
Safety (4)
Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson
Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell
These four players are indisputable, and you can excuse yourself if you can’t think of another safety on the squad at the moment. The versatility of Butler and Mukuamu, as we just discussed, enables you to fill out the secondary with enough depth at both spots.
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
K Brandon Aubrey, P Bryan Anger, LS Trent Sieg
How come? Not even C.J. Goodwin? Despite the difficulty of backing the seasoned player, it seemed appropriate considering the quantity and requirements at other positions. He might be predicted ahead of Butler or Mukuamu if he had any defensive value, but he hasn’t been anything but a specialist for some time. Goodwin was eventually forced out due to regulatory changes and the need to retain younger talent.
