If you made a Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster prediction before this past week, it is time to throw it away. Now, that’s no fault of your own; it is simply because so much has changed since they kicked off their first preseason against the Seahawks on Saturday.
The performances in that game started moving the needle for a few players, then the front office decided to bring in an NFL legend, Von Miller, via free agency, and last night the team played once again in their second preseason game.
When you combine Miller’s deal (one-year, but it can pay upwards of $7M, so you can bet he’ll be on the roster) with the aforementioned showing of some interesting depth pieces these past few weeks, we should now expect some big names to be fighting for spots.
Here, I’ll factor in all that we’ve learned in the Seattle and Arizona showdowns to give my best possible prediction for the Cowboys’ Week 1 roster.
Offense: 25 Total Players
2 QBs: Dak Prescott, Joe Milton.
– This room had one question coming into last night: who will be the QB2 behind the All-Pro Prescott? Milton answered that question last night with a stellar performance against the Cardinals (9/13, 179 YDS, 2 TDs); he deserves the backup role. Now that that’s settled, I think we have to reconsider Howell’s place on the 53 — if you cut him, you keep room elsewhere.
4 RBs: Javonte Williams, Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, Hunter Luepke (Fullback).
– It may be impossible to predict the final spots at RB right now accurately. Davis seems uncuttable, especially after another great performance last night, while Blue, Phil Mafah, and Israel Abanikanda all had moments against Arizona. They will either keep 3 or 4 (including Luepke), and I think it is four with Davis & Blue right now.
6 WRs: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo, Camden Brown.
– In the wide receiver room, Mingo and UDFA Camden Brown have forced Dallas’s hand: they must go heavy at WR on the 53-man roster to keep both players. Both of these summer standouts delivered again last night, and if either is cut, they won’t make it back to the practice squad; find space elsewhere (cut Sam Howell) and roll.
3 TEs: Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Luke Schoonmaker
– Fans would go nuts if the team cut Michael Trigg, the Cowboys’ highest-paid UDFA signing, but it feels like they will. Trigg isn’t healthy, and Schoonmaker showed “reliability” last night; I think Dallas goes big by keeping Brown and “safe “by keeping Schoonmaker (while trying to land Trigg on the practice squad, or putting him on IR).
4 OTs: Tyler Guyton, Terence Steele, Nate Thomas. Drew Shelton.
– I feel, with all due respect to each guy, terrible about this group going into the season. Guyton seems to have made strides, especially physically, but Steele, Shelton, and Thomas terrify me, especially the two depth guys. Thomas, and especially Shelton, do not seem prepared to protect Prescott if need be; the rookie is safe because of the 4th round pick spent on him, but Thomas could go if Dallas identifies a free agent they like more.
6 IOLs: Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, T.J. Bass. Ajani Cornelius, Trevor Keegan
– This portion of the o-line is much more comforting. You have to feel good about the starting trio of Smith, Beebe, and Booker, and Cornelius (who is playing guard so far, despite OT designation) and Bass are solid backups with versatility; Keegan is insurance. I like this group a lot.
Defense: 25 Total Players
5 IDL: Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otito Ogbonnia, LT Overton, Jay Toia.
– This unit is going to be critical to a Cowboys defensive turnaround in 2026, and I think they are poised to deliver. Williams and Clark headline this group, but Ogbonnia, Overton, and now Toia with his performance last night have all flashed as well. Fans can finally feel good about the DT position in Dallas.
His presence is going to pay off
5 EDGEs: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Rashan Gary, Von Miller, Malachi Lawrence, James Houston.
– The aforementioned addition of Miller changes things here: what previously looked like a battle between Marist Liufau and Sam Williams for the last spot becomes both getting cut in favor of Houston, who simply gets after the quarterback every time he steps on the field. This group is a major upgrade from 2025 as well.
5 LBs: Dee Winters, DeMarvion Overshown, Jaishawn Barham, Justin Barron, Shemar James.
– Arguably the worst unit on the 2025 Dallas defense, this new linebacker corps is looking for a major revival headed by a healthy Overshown, Winters, the former 49ers starter, and the rookie Barham, who absolutely dominated in his debut last night. Barron and James should round out this group at 4 and 5.
5 CBs: DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel Jr., Cobie Durant, Devin Moore, Caelen Carson.
– This is the group I am most worried about this season. It is a room full of question marks from top to bottom, the biggest of which is Bland, the former All-Pro who has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. New DC Christian Parker needs him, Revel (who had a huge INT last night), and more to be on the field. The big decision here is whether to cut Carson or not, and right now, I think he’s safe.
5 SAFs: Caleb Downs, Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke, Julius Wood
– I’m really excited about this room, mainly because of the additions of Thompson (who is super underrated) and Downs, a future superstar in the making. It has been too long since Dallas invested in this position, and now that they have, they’ll reap the benefits quickly. Hooker and Locke are locks also (no pun intended), and Wood has earned his place on the 53 as well.
Special Teams: 3 Total Players
1 Kicker: Brandon Aubrey
– I could do a write-up here, but instead I’ll just say this: GOAT.
1 Punter: Bryan Anger
– This 37-year-old is heading into his sixth season in Dallas, which is now the longest amount of time he’s spent with an organization. Anger is underrated and underappreciated by the fanbase, even if his career clock is ticking.
1 Long Snapper: Trent Sieg
– What can you say about Sieg that hasn’t been said already? Probably a lot. This guy is the least talked about player on the roster, but he’ll be back for his fourth season as a Cowboy in 2026.
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