Last week I took a shot at determining who the Dallas Cowboys might keep on their final 53 man roster, and that started me thinking who could possibly be the surprise roster cuts that we have to say goodbye to.
Year in and year out, we have to say goodbye to players that we were hoping would be able to make an impact with the team and this year is no exception. Sometimes, these players are veterans that have been with the team for a while or they are rookies, but having to say goodbye to them is sometimes a little hurtful.
Below are some of the players that I could see the Dallas Cowboys having to say goodbye to before the 2016 season gets underway.
J.J. Wilcox, #27
J.J. Wilcox was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys knowing full well that he would have to spend time developing his skill set as a safety in the NFL, but unfortunately that development hasn’t quite gone as smoothly as they might have hoped.
Wilcox was a third round draft pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and is entering his final year of his rookie contract. He has yet to establish himself as a consistent contributor on defense and will more than likely have to accept a backup role now that Byron Jones has made the switch to safety full-time.
Wilcox could face some stiff competition from rookie safety Kavon Frazier. If Frazier can show that he has more upside, it could force the Cowboys hand and thus make Wilcox a roster cut.
It’s unfortunate, because Wilcox has the physical skill set to play safety in the NFL, but he can’t quite get a grasp on the mental aspect that is causing him to be a liability in coverage.
Darren McFadden, #20
Darren McFadden finished fourth in rushing last year in 2015, but that was then and this is now. His elbow injury couldn’t have come at a worse time and it could possibly end up costing him his job with the Dallas Cowboys.
Once Zeke Elliott was drafted, the writing was on the wall that it would likely come down to Darren McFadden or Alfred Morris as to who remains with the Cowboys in 2016.
Unfortunately for McFadden, Morris will now receive more practice repetitions in training camp and could possibly solidify himself as Elliott’s primary backup. The fact that Morris was guaranteed $1.8 million when he signed his two-year contract with the Cowboys doesn’t help McFadden much either.
McFadden will have a lot of work to do once he’s back to 100%, but it may just be a little bit too late.
Lucky Whitehead, #13
Lucky Whitehead made the Dallas Cowboys final roster in 2015 as an undrafted free agent to help replace Dwayne Harris. It took the coaching staff a while to trust him before he finally took over the punt/kickoff return duties and even longer to find role for him on offense.
The simple fact is that Whitehead is limited to what he can do as a wide receiver because of his size (5’8″, 180), and he is best suited to play in the slot where Cole Beasley currently locked in.
The Cowboys can continue to use him as a gimmicky player the way they did in 2015, but his roster spot may be in jeopardy if the organization decides there is another WR that can contribute more.
I’m a fan of Lucky’s, but his time with the Cowboys will ultimately depend on how many WRs they decide to keep on the final 53 man roster. He could receive stiff competition from Andy Jones and Ed Eagan, and might just have to prove he’s worth keeping around.
Lance Dunbar, #25
When healthy Lance Dunbar can be a key contributor on special teams and offense, but unfortunately he can’t seem to stay healthy.
Dunbar has yet to fully recover from last year’s knee injury and may have to start out the season on the PUP list. This could possibly be bad news regarding his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys already have really good depth that the running back position and now due to the fact that Darren McFadden will miss time due to his elbow injury, Alfred Morris and Darius Jackson now have the opportunity to establish themselves.
Dunbar’s recovery from injury will ultimately determine his fate with the Cowboys, but with a crowded backfield he will have to reestablish himself when he can finally get back on the field.
Kellen Moore, #17
Kellen Moore is penciled in as the backup QB for the Dallas Cowboys, but his name hasn’t been written in ink yet. I don’t know about the coaching staff for the Cowboys, but I would still like to see him progress more once he’s received more practice repetitions.
He’s not someone that’s going to scare you with his physical presence. He relies more on his football intelligence and anticipation in order to get the job done.
I think if either Dak Prescott or Jameill Showers are close to performing just as well as Kellen Moore, he could end up being a final roster cut.
Unfortunately, Moore doesn’t have quite the upside that Prescott and Showers seem to have and this could be his last chance to establish himself in the NFL. I don’t really see him getting another chance with another team in the league.
So, not only is he competing for the backup position with the Cowboys, but he could be playing for his NFL career.
Agree or disagree?
Feel free to use the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions. I look forward to hearing from you so that we can discuss this topic further.
I was 4/5 with you on this list until I read number one. I feel that the turbulence we experienced last year at the QB role after Romo went down truly illustrated the dependency of our offense on a QB with great anticipation and accuracy. Once Moore came on to the field things seemed more "normal" with the offense moving the ball down field. I think that with more reps in training camp Moore should easily guarantee Showers another practice squad spot and relegate Prescott to third string.
Thanks for commenting Pete. I'm not disagreeing with anything you said, but I could see the Cowboys keeping a close eye on the waiver wire and adding a QB with more experience if they think he can be better than Kellen Moore. That alone is really the reason he made the list of players that could be surprise cuts.
Brian: The only way I see that happening is if K Moore keeps not playing well in TC and preseason. The other possibility but highly unlikely is that a really good QB is available at minimum or very reasonable pay. Just because they see a QB that is a veteran or they think possibly could be better than K Moore doesn't mean he could beat out K Moore for the 2nd team QB position. Look at Weeden and Cassel. As I keep saying you seem to be underestimating K Moore as most people do. The coaches and FO just need to hold on from the criticism and pressure until K Moore plays in a couple preseason games. If he does as good as they expect him to, this will likely reduce the criticism and pressure. If he doesn't do well, then it will get hotter and they will need to seriously start looking around for a veteran QB.
George, I'm not underestimating Kellen Moore, but I can honestly say I haven't seen enough of him to where I feel confident enough to see him be the backup QB. I think if the Cowboys were 100% confident in his abilities they would name him out right the backup to Romo, but I think even they want to see more of him in training camp and preseason games before crowning him the #2. When they make that statement I will be 100% on board. I know it may sound that I'm against Kellen Moore, but I just want to see more visual evidence that he is ready for more responsibility.
You really epect someone coming off the wavier wire will know and run the offensive better than Kellen/ guess you want a repeat of how well that worked out last year.
Did Kellen Moore really play well enough to deserve so much faith? Yes, he had a good game against the Washington Redskins, but they pulled a lot of their starters and he still threw way too many interceptions. I personally need to see more from him before I feel comfortable with him as a backup.
The only two that I think will possibly cut and should are Wilcox and Dunbar. Dunbar when healthy is a threat but he can't stay healthy. Wilcox has not been consistent enough on the defensive side to warrant a roster spot. Lucky has athletic ability that shows up every time he steps on the field. He is one of those guys that you expect something to happen every time touches the ball. Moore proved he has the ability to get better every time he gets on the field, and besides, we all know how much the off. cord. Loves him. He's not going anywhere. I think DMac came on strong enough last year to let JJ keep his Ark. Fav around one more year.
Thanks for commenting Roy. You made several valid points, but I honestly could see a scenario where all of these players could be in danger of losing their jobs.
Brian: I may have already said this but my understanding based on some comments by Garrett at a news conference is that Kellen Moore is primarily competing against a standard Dallas has for the 2nd team QB position. If he doesn't meet this standard during TC and preseason games, then they will likely start looking for a veteran QB to be the 2nd team QB. This says to me they are reasonably confident K Moore can do the job based on what they have said and the fact they have not come up with a veteran QB so far to compete with K Moore. I also don't think the coaches think Prescott or Showers can adjust/progress/develop enough to earn the 2nd team QB position in 2016 and I am also not sure they would want that anyhow as that would likely rush them into possibly having to play in season games when they are not quite ready. This can be good from a learning standpoint but detrimental from other standpoints such as confidence and fan support as well as keeping Dallas from having a chance to win the game. I believe K Moore is likely to get most if not all the 2nd team reps unless he starts not playing that well. As I have already said, I believe K Moore will likely do well in preseason games but not quite as well in practices. He should be ready, focused, experienced, hungry, etc. at this point in his NFL career plus if he can't earn the 2nd team QB position in 2016, his NFL career could be in jeopardy. Based on his history he shines when he gets on the field in game situations because he is very experience, consistent, instinctive, poised and knows what to do especially under pressure. You mentioned in a previous article comment, you would like to see K Moore show more command of the Dallas offense. That is likely to be one of his strengths and should show up in preseason games. He knows how to carry out the offense and make optimum decisions in an effective manner and one of the reasons the coaches like him so much. His only downside in this regard is his physical limitations such as he cannot throw the ball with enough velocity to make all the throws. I think the coaches also will make sure he gets on the field at 2nd team or even 1st team in preseason games and scrimmages, even if he is not doing quite as well as they want in practice because they know his strengths show up stronger when he plays. The bottom line is K Moore is likely to earn the 2nd team QB position in 2016.
I don't disagree that Kellen Moore will likely earn the backup quarterback position in 2016, but I also don't believe that the Cowboys are 100% confident in his ability. I think there is that doubt and adding a veteran QB via waiver wire could be a real possibility. That is why he made the list of possible surprise cuts after training camp.
Just to be clear, it is my understanding K Moore has been assigned the 2nd team QB position with the idea it is his to lose. I expect him to get most if not all the 2nd team reps. Are they 100% confident in his ability? I doubt it as they have not seen enough of him and also expect him to improve from his 2015 play but that is still to be determined. I do think they are reasonably confident that he can do the job or they would have worked harder to bring in a veteran QB. If they have to do it at the end of the preseason, it will be a lot harder to find a good QB.
George, that's my point. No one has really seen enough of Kellen Moore to really accurately tell one way or another that he will be able to improve on what we saw in 2015. Is that his ceiling or can he further develop with more practice time? That's why I will be paying close attention to training camp and preseason.
…"who could possibly be the surprise roster cuts"… Apparently all the others commenting would be surprised, so you hit the nail on the head with Moore. I too think he has a chance of being cut. Not a huge chance, but a surprise chance. It all comes down to whether or not they can grab an experienced arm to take his spot. I haven't seen anything special from him and with all of Romo's issues in the past, they need more of a go-to guy they can expect to run the offense permanently. I like Prescott and Showers for their potential, but they still don't have the veteran command. Then again, you gotta start somewhere. Might not hurt to throw them in some more and see who steps up to the plate.
What a very knowledgeable and well articulated comment, especially from a Texans fan ha ha. You must have a very knowledgeable family member that follows the Dallas Cowboys very closely and knows what they're talking about. Thanks for commenting Jacob.
Texans fans are good at recognizing mediocre backups at QB…it's all we've had lately! LOL
That's very true. It looks like they paid big money for another mediocre QB, Brock Osweiler. Hopefully he works out.
Jacob Worrell: You must have missed the offseason. Dallas could have possibly signed Colt McCoy for about $13M or a couple other veteran QBs for several million. I think the cheapest was Moore from Miami for about $3M or 4M. These were veteran go to guys they could expect to run the offense permanently as you said. Most of the QBs that would be available now will be more QBs like Weeden and Cassell who I doubt could beat out Kellen Moore. Remember K Moore knows the Dallas offense/playbook, has worked with S Linehan for two plus years, has S Linehans confidence, has four years NFL experience/lots of experience before that and has played some in the Dallas offense at first team. He also was one of the best all time pocket passers in college. If you were in S Linehan's or Garrett's shoes would you want a Weeden/Cassel equivalent with zero experience in the Dallas offense/playbook or K Moore?
George, I don't know how serious they were about adding Colt McCoy or Matt Moore. I don't think they were ever really seriously considering going after either of them. I know they kicked the tires on Matt Moore, but I think it was more of just a meet and greet. This could be because they have faith in Kellen Moore as the backup QB or they didn't like the available veteran QB's. Maybe it was the fact that they felt very strongly about adding a young developmental QB through the draft. Whatever it was I never really got the feeling that they were serious about chasing any of those available veteran QB's.