Cowboys 53-man roster projection following 2024 preseason finale

Who will be on the Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster when final cuts are announced on Tuesday, August 27?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and quarterback Trey Lance (19) / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The preseason is officially over and all teams will now turn their attention to their roster.

August 27 is the deadline to get to 53 players and while Jerry Jones is adamant the Dallas Cowboys will keep Trey Lance, there will be several other decisions to make.

Here we look at their current roster and predict which players will remain when the deadline passes on Tuesday.

MORE: 3 Cowboys in, 3 Cowboys out: Who makes the 53-man roster?

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Quarterback (2):

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Dak Prescott
Trey Lance

While two quarterbacks make the roster, the Cowboys will keep Cooper Rush. As a vested veteran he can be released without hitting waivers and in the past, they've used this to their advantage. Look for Rush to be on the practice squad and get elevated for the first couple of weeks until they can move him to the active roster.

MORE: Will Cowboys add cornerbacks following DaRon Bland injury news?

Dallas could look to trade Trey Lance after a decent offseason, including an impressive finish against the Chargers.

TREY LANCE. 46-YARD TD RUN.

📺: #LACvsDAL on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/sdcwPELQEs

— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024

Even with his play, Rush will be QB2 during games. So no one should panic when his release is announced.

Cooper Rush - Practice Squad

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Running Back (5):

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance (19) hands the ball off to running back Deuce Vaughn (42) / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Ezekiel Elliott
Rico Dowdle
Royce Freeman
Deuce Vaughn
Hunter Luepke

Deuce Vaughn earned a spot with a strong showing this preseason. Dallas doesn't have an elite group of running backs but if they use them correctly, they could have some success. Of course, there's a concern they'll try and over-use Ezekiel Elliott, but let's hope for the best.

MORE: Cowboys Player of the Game in preseason loss to the Chargers

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Wide Receiver (6):

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

CeeDee Lamb
Brandin Cooks
Jalen Tolbert
KaVontae Turpin
Jalen Brooks
Ryan Flournoy

CeeDee Lamb makes the list here but the real story will be whether or not they can get him re-signed. Most of their receivers are locks to make the team but they had some young guys make a name for themselves.

None were able to push Jalen Brooks or Ryan Flournoy off the roster, however. Especially after Flournoy hauled in a touchdown catch in each of the past two games.

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Tight End (4):

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Ferguson
Luke Schoonmaker
Peyton Hendershot
Brevyn Spann-Ford

Jake Ferguson exploded in year two and should be a force again in 2024. Dallas hopes Luke Schoonmaker will take a step forward in his second season and he was solid in the preseason.

Peyton Hendershot and Brevyn Spann-Ford round out the list with John Stephens, Jr. and Princeton Fant being practice squad targets.

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Offensive Line (10):

Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyler Guyton / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Guyton, LT
Tyler Smith, LG
Cooper Beebe, C
Zack Martin, RG
Terence Steele, RT
Asim Richards, T/G
T.J. Bass, G
Brock Hoffman, C/G
Matt Waletzko, OT
Josh Ball, G/T

The starters are set with Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe locking down their spots. On the bench, the Cowboys have Matt Waletzko as the swing tackle with Chuma Edoga injured. Josh Ball and Asim Richards are both kept since they can play either position but one could be gone when Edoga returns.

Chuma Edoga (IR)

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Defensive Line (9):

Dallas Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Micah Parsons, EDGE
Osa Odighizuwa, DT
Jordan Phillips, DT
DeMarcus Lawrence, EDGE
Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE
Carl Lawson, EDGE
Mazi Smith, DT
Chauncey Golston, DT/DE
Linval Joseph, DT

Micah Parsons has been a beast since joining the NFL and he might have more help in 2024 than ever before. Even with Sam Williams injured, the Cowboys have DeMarcus Lawrence, Carl Lawson, and Marshawn Kneeland who can get after the quarterback.

Mazi Smith is expected to improve in his second season but the addition of Jordan Phillips and Linval Joseph offers insurance. Chauncey Golston makes it as well as a versatile weapon capable of playing tackle or end.

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Linebacker (4):

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau (35) and linebacker Eric Kendricks (50) / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Kendricks
Damone Clark
DeMarvion Overshown
Marist Liufau

Four linebackers might not seem like enough but the Cowboys can move Micah Parsons to linebacker and Mike Zimmer is expected to use him like a chess piece. They can also keep Damien Wilson on the practice squad the same way as Cooper Rush. He's likely to be a call up until they have to move him up permanently, which will eventually happen.

Damien Wilson - Practice Squad

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Cornerback (5):

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Trevon Diggs
Jourdan Lewis
Caelen Carson
Andrew Booth
Eric Scott, Jr.

The Cowboys suffered a huge loss when it was announced DaRon Bland would miss time due to a stress fracture in his foot. That opened the door for Andrew Booth, who might not have made it otherwise. He edges out Kemon Hall but it wouldn't be a surprise to see them stick with Hall instead.

C.J. Goodwin, a special teams ace, is released initially and will either be signed to the practice squad or picked back up in a few days.

C.J. Goodwin (PS)
DaRon Bland (IR)

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Safety (5):

Dallas Cowboys safety Israel Mukuamu / Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Hooker
Donovan Wilson
Markquese Bell
Israel Mukuamu
Juanyeh Thomas

Dallas has done a great job finding safeties either late in the draft or as undrafted free agents. They have two undrafted players and two sixth-round picks along with Malik Hooker. They also have Julius Wood and Emany Johnson who look capable but aren't able to push Juanyeh Thomas or Israel Mukuamu off the roster.

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Specialists (3):

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Aubrey, K
Bryan Anger, P
Trent Sieg, LS

No surprises here as the Cowboys go into the season with the same specialsts they had in 2023. Bryan Anger is a veteran punter who is one of the best in the game. Brandon Aubrey is entering his second season and he's also among the best in the business. He even hit a 66-yarder in the preseason. Trent Sieg is the long snapper, who never gets any publicity, which is the point of his job.

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