IRVING, Texas – Preseason is in the books, and it's time for the Cowboys to trim their roster from 75 players to 53 by Saturday. Below is my Dallas Cowboys 53-Man Roster Projection – my assessment based on the work these players put in throughout the offseason, a month of training camp and four preseason games.
I have gone one player short (52) in order to have the flexibility to add a player through waivers or trade. If the team decides to go with a complete 53-man roster, which is likely, I would add Ken Bishop back to the roster.
Where things could get interesting is if they decide to keep rookie quarterback Jameill Showers on the active roster instead of safety Danny McCray. I am taking a bit of a gamble there, so we will see.
Quarterback (3)
Tony Romo
Brandon Weeden
Jameill Showers
Broaddus: I might be wrong right out of the box here by keeping Showers. My reasoning here is that I feel comfortable with my core special teamers and I am willing to go one light there by not keeping Danny McCray on the roster in order to make that happen.
Running Back (4)
Darren McFadden
Joseph Randle
Lance Dunbar
Tyler Clutts (FB)
Broaddus: I might consider going long here if the right back appears on the wire or a trade can be worked out.
Wide Receiver (5)
Dez Bryant
Terrance Williams
Devin Street
Cole Beasley
Lucky Whitehead
Broaddus: I keep Whitehead on my roster as my primary return man and work to develop him for further game action either in the slot or on the outside.
Tight End (4)
Jason Witten
James Hanna
Gavin Escobar
Geoff Swaim
Broaddus:I am not really fired up about keeping four tight ends on this roster because in my view, you have the same guy in Swaim and Escobar. I would have kept three but in this projection I believe they keep Swaim on the active roster.
Offensive Line (8)
Tyron Smith
Ronald Leary
Travis Frederick
Zack Martin
Doug Free
La'el Collins
Mackenzy Bernadeau
Darrion Weems
Broaddus: Here is another position where I would consider adding an extra player if the right one might come along. I am not totally comfortable with Weems, but my gut tells me that this front office and coaching staff is.
Defensive Line (10)
DeMarcus Lawrence
Tyrone Crawford
Nick Hayden
Jeremy Mincey
Randy Gregory
Jack Crawford
Davon Coleman
Lavar Edwards
Terrell McClain
Ryan Russell
Broaddus:I really struggled with this position much like I believe the front office did. There is a really good chance that they keep Ken Bishop on the active roster and go with 11 defensive linemen. In my projection, I am going to part with him and use his spot for that player I trade for or try and claim through waivers.
Linebacker (7)
Sean Lee
Kyle Wilber
Andrew Gachkar
Jasper Brinkley
Keith Smith
Damien Wilson
Anthony Hitchens
Broaddus: My last consideration here was Jasper Brinkley. I thought this front office might eat his money, but the more I think about it the less likely that is going to happen. I will say that Brinkley did play better the last three games of the preseason, and that put him in the position which allowed him in my opinion to make the active roster.
Defensive Back (8)
Morris Claiborne
J.J. Wilcox
Brandon Carr
Barry Church
Corey White
Tyler Patmon
Byron Jones
Jeff Heath
Broaddus: I am going with eight defensive backs here in order to carry Showers on the 53-man roster. I could see this front office going with nine, which means that Danny McCray makes this roster and they only go with two quarterbacks. I don't feel great about gambling with McCray's spot, but it's only a projection, right?
Specialist (3)
Dan Bailey
Chris Jones
L.P. Ladouceur
Broaddus: Easiest position that I projected all day.
Suspended four games; Cowboys will receive roster exemption during suspension:
DE Greg Hardy
LB Rolando McClain
