The Dallas Cowboys must cut their roster to 75 by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday and to 53 by 4 p.m. Saturday. Here’s a final 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, unknown veteran
Romo will miss at least a few games recovering from a compression fracture in his back, and the Cowboys could choose to put him on injured reserve to start the year, which would cost him the first eight weeks. The hope is Romo will miss closer to six weeks, which could put him on the field in early to mid-October. The Cowboys will add a veteran to back up Prescott at some point.
RUNNING BACK (4): Ezekiel Elliott, Alfred Morris, Lance Dunbar, Darius Jackson
I’m keeping Darren McFadden on the non-football injury list to start the season, as he recovers from a broken elbow. He will miss the first six games, but it opens up a logjam at running back with how Jackson has performed. Dunbar’s recovery from a serious knee injury has been terrific, but his health will continue to be a question until he shows he can withstand a season.
FULLBACK (1): Rod Smith
I seriously thought about two fullbacks, with Keith Smith on the roster too, but I couldn’t come up with enough snaps. I went with Rod Smith over Keith Smith because he can play some tailback, if necessary. Both can play on all special-teams units.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Brice Butler, Lucky Whitehead
Undrafted rookie Andy Jones just can’t crack the list. Whitehead gets the fifth spot because of his return ability, and the Cowboys can use him in some special offensive packages. If the Cowboys go with a sixth receiver, then they would have to go lighter at offensive line or fullback. From a depth perspective, this might be the best the Cowboys have been at receiver since Romo has been the quarterback.
TIGHT END (3): Jason Witten, Geoff Swaim,Austin Traylor
Allow me to speculate here: I think the Cowboys will find a trade partner for Gavin Escobar. The former second-round pick was playing late in the fourth quarter versus the Seattle Seahawks, with Traylor getting more snaps with the regulars. James Hanna should open the season on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing knee surgery.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Tyron Smith, La'el Collins, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Doug Free, Ronald Leary, Joe Looney, Chaz Green, unknown addition
The starters are set. Leary could be a trade commodity, but the Cowboys will want to get something good in return, because Leary offers terrific injury protection. Green is the swing tackle for now, but I believe the Cowboys will look for a veteran caught in a numbers crunch elsewhere and bring him in to compete with Green.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Jack Crawford, Tyrone Crawford, Terrell McClain, Benson Mayowa, Cedric Thornton, Maliek Collins, David Irving, Charles Tapper, unknown addition
DeMarcus Lawrence will open up on the suspended list, and who knows if Randy Gregory will wear a uniform in 2016, so that opens up some spots. The Cowboys are stronger at defensive tackle than they have been in recent years, but the end spot remains a question. I believe the Cowboys will either add a player off waivers or make a trade before the roster is set for their final pass-rusher. Ryan Russell has had chances to earn his way on to the roster, and I just don’t see it.
LINEBACKER (7): Sean Lee, Anthony Hitchens, Kyle Wilber, Justin Durant, Damien Wilson, Andrew Gachkar, Mark Nzeocha
I was tempted to only go with six linebackers because of Nzeocha’s Achilles strain, but he showed enough against the Los Angeles Rams to stick around. Where’s Rolando McClain? Suspended, and I don’t think he will ever wear a Cowboys uniform again. After opening camp on the non-football injury list, Wilson has shown more awareness than he did as a rookie.
SECONDARY (9): Orlando Scandrick, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Barry Church, Byron Jones, Anthony Brown, Deji Olatoye, Kavon Frazier, Jeff Heath
In my initial projection in June, I didn’t have J.J. Wilcox on the roster. I haven’t seen a ton from Frazier, but Wilcox will not be with the team in 2017, so it makes sense to see what Frazier can become. Olatoye took some snaps at safety over the summer. I went with six cornerbacks to protect myself because of the health of Scandrick and Claiborne. By the way, if there is a training camp/preseason defensive MVP, it is Claiborne.
SPECIALISTS (3): Kicker Dan Bailey, punter Chris Jones, long snapper L.P. Ladouceur
Bailey is among the best kickers in the game, and Jones is an underrated weapon, with his ability to place the ball and kick for power. Ladouceur has been perfect on every snap of his career.
