Unfortunately, this is the slow time of year in the NFL. Teams have finished up their organized team activities (OTA’s) and minicamp practices, and now are in limbo until everyone reports to training camp. With things so slow news wise, I thought it would be a good idea to share with all of you my pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction, starting with the offensive side of the ball.
I understand it’s still way too early to make such predictions, especially since we haven’t seen some of these players in pads yet. But, we should all still have a pretty good understanding about which positions are pretty much locked down and which ones are still up for grabs.
Quarterback (2)
Dak Prescott, Kellen Moore
It is really starting to look as if the Dallas Cowboys will only carry two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster in 2017. This is somewhat surprising considering they have carried three in the Jason Garrett head-coaching era, but it does free up an extra roster spot for depth at another position.
Dak Prescott is looking to build upon his impressive rookie season and I personally don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t. The coaching staff also seems to be comfortable with Kellen Moore as a backup, but scouts will continue to keep an eye out for potential upgrades. Who knows? Maybe they have the recently retired Tony Romo on speed dial just in case.
Running Back/Fullback (4)
Ezekiel Elliott, Darren McFadden, Keith Smith, Rod Smith
As things stand right now, I have the Dallas Cowboys caring four running backs on their 53-man roster. But, I only have Ezekiel Elliott, Darren McFadden, and Keith Smith down as virtual locks. I think the fourth spot is still up in the air.
I have Rod Smith making the team right now because of his versatility to play fullback, tailback, and special teams. Because of his ability to contribute in several different areas, I think the Cowboys keep him over Alfred Morris. But, I think scouts will be on the lookout for another RB who could possibly be an upgrade.
Wide Receiver (6)
Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, Ryan Switzer, Brice Butler, Noah Brown
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Dallas Cowboys decided to just carry five wide receivers on their 53-man roster, but I decided to go little long here. I think Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, and Ryan Switzer are the only names written down in ink, leaving the fifth and possibly sixth spots up for grabs.
Brice Butler isn’t guaranteed anything, but he has been receiving some high praise this off-season because of his play on the field. Noah Brown is going to have to clearly outplay Butler, but he can also contribute more in several different ways. Brown plays special-teams, wide receiver, and could be used in the role of a H-back/TE because of his blocking ability. For now, I have both of them making it.
Tight End (3)
Jason Witten, Geoff Swaim, James Hanna
I went with just three tight ends for now, but that could change depending on Geoff Swaim and James Hanna’s ability to come back from their injuries. I know I’m going to be heavily scrutinized for not including fan favorite Rico Gathers, but he still needs time in his development before he can be trusted.
This position is impacted by the fact I carried an extra WR, but like I mentioned earlier, I think Noah Brown is capable of filling in if needed. However, the Cowboys may decide to keep Gathers, especially after the time they invested in him. If Swaim or Hanna don’t return to their old selves, I have Gathers as the third TE.
Offensive Line (9)
Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, La’el Collins, Chaz Green, Emmett Cleary, Jonathan Cooper, Joe Looney, Byron Bell
Three out of the five starting offensive lineman are set in stone, and possibly the fourth if La’el Collins sticks at right tackle. But, I still decided to go with nine offensive lineman because the left guard position is still up in the air and the fact that Chaz Green and Jonathan Cooper can’t seem remain healthy.
Collins is going to start at either right tackle or left guard, but who the fifth starting offensive lineman is remains up in the air. Cooper, Green, Looney, and Bell are all competing for the LG spot, but none of them really inspire any confidence. The scouting department will be looking long and hard at adding another starting caliber LG or RT, but I think they still go with nine OL because of all of the uncertainties.
Specialist (3)
Dan Bailey, Chris Jones, L.P. Ladouceur
If only all of the positions were as easy to predict as the specialist are for the Dallas Cowboys. This is the one and only position that has any stability and the only one that doesn’t require any guesswork. All three of these players are a lock to make the final 53-man roster.
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If you’re counting, that’s 27 out of the 53 roster spots on the offensive side of the ball, including the three specialist. That leaves 26 available roster spots to devote to the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys. Tune in tomorrow to see who I predicted to fill those final 26 spots on defense.
Excited to see what Switzer and Noah Brown do. Brown has a lot of HBack/TE qualities also. Could be in our 12 and 13 packages I would guess
I think a lot of Cowboys fans are excited about Switzer, myself included. I also really like Noah Brown because of all of the different ways he can contribute. It’s going to be hard for him to outplay Brice Butler, but I still think he has a chance to make the 53-man roster.