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The first round of roster cuts is scheduled for August 27, so there are still two weeks left to make a case for a roster spot. More importantly, there are two more preseason games left before the first cuts are made, and the performance in real live action trumps training camp performance in the final evaluation.
At the same time, the players have gone through OTAs, almost four weeks of training camp and two preseason games - it's probably fair to assume that the coaches already have a pretty good handle on what their roster will look like.
The Cowboys currently have 90 players on their roster, which means there will be 15 players who'll be asked to hand over their playbooks on August 27, 16 if the Cowboys get Brian Waters signed by then. There are unlikely to be any noteworthy names in this group, in fact, it's likely that none of the players released during first cuts will make it to the season-opening practice squad. But these are significant cuts nonetheless.
The easiest cuts will probably the most recent additions to the roster. Seven players are currently on the roster who were brought in over the last two weeks. Problem is, five of those guys are defensive linemen (with a guard and a kicker thrown in for good measure). So the cuts will have to be made with a view to maintaining at least some depth along the entire roster, and the Cowboys can't just go and cut all backup defensive ends and be done with it.
With that in mind, here's a look at which 16 players may find themselves at the very bottom of the Dallas Cowboys totem pole.
Name POS Comment
Cook, Ryan C/G
Think of Cook as the sixteenth guy who makes room for Waters if you want, but Cook has been unavailable for most of camp, and that does not bode well.Cochart, Colin
TE
Are the Cowboy keeping 5 TEs? Possible, but unlikely in my opinion. Cochart is a nice guy, but he was a camp body last year and is again this year.Lawrence, Kendial
RB
Whatever happened to Lawrence? His been virtually invisible in camp.Green, Jared
WR
This is a tough one, but in a crowded WR room, something has got to give.Amos, Anthony
WR
No clear role for No. 10.Benford, Tim
WR
Dropped too many balls.Godfrey, Dennis
G
Hardly knew ya.Brewer, Xavier
CB
The team starts thinning out the cornerbacks, and still have seven left after cutting Brewer. He'll likely find a job with another team.Lacey, Deon
LB
The team had 11 linebackers, they're down to nine with these two cuts, and they'll probably need to cut at least two more.Lawrence, Cameron
LB
Heath, Jeff S
It's a numbers game at safety. The team currently has eight safeties on the roster, and it's a tight decision between Heath and Jakar Hamilton. The team keeps seven safeties on the 75-man roster until they resolve the McCray/Frampton question and figure out who else to release.Chappelear, Travis
DE
The Cowboys signed four defensive ends over the last two weeks, and I really don't know anything about any of them. I can't release all four, so I'm keeping Thaddeus Gibson, but only because the Cowboys put in a waiver wire claim for him and didn't sign him off the street like they did the other three.Fletcher, Jabari
DE
Jackson, Toby DE
Cohen, Landon DT
Tough call between Pendleton, Long and Cohen, but the first two just showed a little more than Cohen.Maher, Brett
K
He'll spell Bailey for the next two weeks, but then it's goodbye.The list is a little heavier on defense (9) than it is on offense (6), but the defense was slightly over-represented on the 90-man roster.
Agree or disagree with the choices? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
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