Gimmesix's preseason Game 2 53-man roster

[gimmesix]

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks (2)
STARTER Tony Romo
BACKUP Kyle Orton
PRACTICE SQUAD Nick Stephens or Alex Tanney
COMMENTS The concerns about Orton as the backup seem to be unfounded so far. The TD pass he threw to Cole Beasley was perfectly placed. Beyond him, Dallas doesn't have much yet. Stephens has an arm worth developing and Tanney is intriguing, but neither showed much against Oakland.

Running backs (4)
STARTER DeMarco Murray
BACKUPS Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle, Phillip Tanner
COMMENTS Randle has surpassed Tanner because of better vision. Tanner runs with abandon and is a special-teams stalwart, but he misses holes, while Randle seems to do a good job of finding them and thus getting the most out of his runs. Dunbar still deserves to be the primary backup, though, because of his speed and wiggle (reminds me of Brian Westbrook). Right now, I keep Tanner because of special teams, but he's on the bubble.

Wide receivers (6)
STARTERS Dez Bryant, Miles Austin
BACKUPS Terrance Williams, Dwayne Harris, Cole Beasley, Anthony Armstrong
PRACTICE SQUAD Danny Coale, Jared Green, possibly Eric Rogers
COMMENTS Everyone can see that Bryant is going to be a beast, and Austin appears to be back to being Austin. After that, Beasley has performed the best, showing an ability to get open. Armstrong seems to be next in line and could be kept because of his speed and special-teams ability, but I could easily see Dallas going with just five receivers this year.

Tight ends (4)
STARTER Jason Witten
BACKUPS James Hanna, Gavin Escobar, Dante Rosario
COMMENTS I don't think there's going to be a set No. 2 tight end this year. I believe Hanna, Escobar and Rosario will all be used at times in combination with Witten. The reason being that none of them is the full package, so Dallas will mix and match according to their strengths.

Linemen (9)
STARTERS Tyron Smith, Ronald Leary, Travis Frederick, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Doug Free
BACKUPS Jermey Parnell, Nate Livings, Phil Costa, David Arkin
COMMENTS I've watched and rewatched the line more than any other position during these preseason games and I've been pleased with what I've seen from the starting line in both games. I think the starting line is better with Bernadeau rather than Arkin because Bernadeau anchors better. Both have some trouble with power moves and get shoved in the backfield some, along with Costa, who really got knocked back on one run Friday. That's why I wouldn't be surprised if Dallas brings in Brian Waters (which would mean cutting Livings). His addition would give the line one more interior player who doesn't give up much ground. I do think if the current line plays like it did Friday, though, Romo will enjoy pretty good protection and we'll be able to run the ball, particularly behind the left side. On that side, Smith has proven up to the task of handling any rusher not named DeMarcus Ware. He's not giving much of anything up and mirroring his man wherever he tries to go. Next to him, Leary is playing about as well as can be expected. He's showing similar power to Livings, but much better movement skills getting to blocks on the second level. He's moving defenders out of lanes, keeping lanes open on the second level and not getting pushed back by the pass rush. Neither is Frederick, who is helping to form a roomy pocket for the quarterbacks when he plays center that they don't get when Costa's in. Frederick is a strong point-of-attack blocker, pinning defenders to the ground near the goal line, and is good at going upfield to get blocks. Where he is not so good is when he has to react to space to the left or right of him at guard or on screens. When he has to move laterally he's liable to fall down, get knocked back because he's off-balance or just plain miss. He's better at center because he's either able to turn and help block or take on his man straight up. Then, there's Free. For the moment, he seems to have figured out what he had been doing wrong and is blocking well in the run and pass games. Even when a defender charged around him wide Friday, Free recovered to cut him off and keep him away from Romo. (Of course, Romo seemed to be expecting the old Free and reacted to the perceived pressure.) Right now, it really looks good with this group, but they haven't seen the full array of moves, blitzes and stunts they'll see in the regular season.

DEFENSE

Linemen (9)
STARTERS DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Jason Hatcher, Antony Spencer
BACKUPS Kyle Wilber, Sean Lissemore, Nick Hayden, Ben Bass, George Selvie
COMMENTS Ware's going to look like he's shot out of a cannon in this defense, and it appears to suit Hatcher's ability to get upfield, too, in the limited time we've seen them. But Dallas needs Ratliff and Spencer on the field as well, because the backups are iffy. Wilber, Hayden, Bass and Selvie have flashed some good things, but they've also been held in check for long stretches. And Lissemore's play has been disappointing. After showing previous potential, he has really done nothing this preseason. If Dallas has to start any of these players because of injury, I'm not sure at this point that they are up to the task.

Linebackers (6)
STARTERS Bruce Carter, Sean Lee, Ernie Sims
BACKUPS Justin Durant, DeVonte Holloman, Alex Albright
PRACTICE SQUAD Brandon Magee, Taylor Reed
COMMENTS Although we haven't seen Carter do a lot yet (in the short time we've seen him), Lee showed his value to this defense with a couple of big plays Friday. Outside of those two, the battle is on for strongside linebacker, and Sims seems to be taking advantage of any opportunities he gets. He's outplayed Durant in my eyes. The other linebackers haven't consistently impressed, so I'm sticking with the draft pick, who has flashed, and Albright, who did impress with his play last year, as the other two backups. Magee is next in line and could be kept over Tanner or Armstrong.

Cornerbacks (5)
STARTERS Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr
BACKUPS Orlando Scandrick, Sterling Moore, B.W. Webb
COMMENTS This position is pretty cut and dried although Webb is being kept more for potential than what he has shown so far. He's got a lot of growing to do, but I don't think Dallas will risk trying to get him to the practice squad.

Safeties (5)
STARTERS Barry Church, Will Allen
BACKUPS J.J. Wilcox, Matt Johnson, Eric Frampton
PRACTICE SQUAD Jakar Hamilton, Jeff Heath
COMMENTS We'll chalk up Church's missed tackles as overeagerness and slipping on Oakland's dirt/grass combo. Other than that, I saw no problems with the starting safety, and Wilcox stepped up in his backup role, other than taking one wrong angle. Beyond those three, Johnson's being given the benefit of the doubt for now and Frampton appears to be the next best. Although Danny McCray came out for the coin toss as the special teams captain, Frampton outplayed him on special teams last year and is the better safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Long snapper LP Ladouceur
Kicker Dan Bailey
Punter Chris Jones
COMMENTS How about Chris Jones running over and making a nice tackle after the blocked kick? Nice play for a punter.

 

[Teague31]

Pretty spot on. I still think they might go 5 TE though. We need a true blocker and none if the top 4 qualify

 

[gimmesix]

Pretty spot on. I still think they might go 5 TE though. We need a true blocker and none if the top 4 qualify

If we do, I'm not convinced we've got that guy in camp.

I think we blocked pretty well when we used the two-tight end sets against Miami. We just didn't use it as much or in the same way against Oakland.

Outside of Witten, I'm not sure any of the ones we'll keep are pure on-line blockers, but Dallas showed there are ways to use them effectively as blockers. I do expect it to be hit and miss at times.

 

[gimmesix]

Also, I wouldn't rule Caleb McSurdy out as a practice squad player. We should have several linebackers to chose from for developmental purposes even if we don't decide to keep an extra one on the roster.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

I'd make a few changes:
1) Hamilton or Heath over Frampton at safety (Upside and money savings)
2) Magee over Albright at LB if they keep 6 LBs

And I'd seriously consider:
1) Green over Armstrong at #6 WR. Might be substantial cost savings and Green may have more upside at this juncture.
2) Weems at OT over 4th RB Tanner or 6th LB Magee if it looked like Weems would be taken from the PS. Might only go with 5 LBs early in the season since Wilber and Spencer can serve as emergency LBs in a pinch. Magee would probably make it to the practice squad. Or perhaps Weems over Arkin. Is Arkin eligible for the practice squad?

 

[RS12]

Broaddus seems to think Armstrong and McSurdy have a good shot at making the 53. Says McSurdy offfers more on ST than Magee and covers nearly as well FWIW

 

[xwalker]

Gimmesix's preseason Game 2 53-man roster

Well done!

I'm not sold on Rosario, Selvie or a 6th WR.

I could see Frampton being the 5th Safety. As you indicated he is a better Safety than McCray and similar Special Teams player. Also, his salary is probably about 1/2 of McCray's. I think Hamilton will make it to the practice squad because no other team wanted him enough to give him a priority UDFA type bonus/guarantee.

I wonder if they would consider putting Livings on the designated for return IR. He would have to be on the roster for game 1, but after that they could bring back another player. Guys like Selvie, Armstrong or even Rosario would probably still be available after game 1 if they don't make the initial cut.

I don't know if Magee would make it to the practice squad. Other teams must have wanted him because the Cowboys gave him 70k guaranteed, whereas no other UDFA received more than 10k. On the flip side, they were able to keep Leary on the practice squad for part of 2012.

Weems in an interesting player. Physically, he seems like a good developmental player; however, he appears to have zero chance to contribute this year. His technique/awareness is a mess. The Cowboys are his 4th NFL since coming out of college in 2012. It seems like he would make it to the practice squad, but who knows.

 

[TheCount]

Nice list, although I think 6 is a little light on LBs.

 

[Vanilla2]

Broaddus said Coale isn't practice squad eligible.

And

NATE LIVINGS WILL NOT MAKE THE TEAM!

 

[xwalker]

Broaddus said Coale isn't practice squad eligible.

And

NATE LIVINGS WILL NOT MAKE THE TEAM!

There is a good chance that he is wrong if he said the Danny Coale is not eligible. A player must have been on the 53 man roster for some number of games to lose practice squad eligibility. Danny Coale was on the practice squad in 2012 and then got injured. He was placed on something they referred to as Practice Squad IR.

Maybe Broaddus was referring to Cole Beasley.

 

[Vanilla2]

There is a good chance that he is wrong if he said the Danny Coale is not eligible. A player must have been on the 53 man roster for some number of games to lose practice squad eligibility. Danny Coale was on the practice squad in 2012 and then got injured. He was placed on something they referred to as Practice Squad IR.

Maybe Broaddus was referring to Cole Beasley.

Going back and re listening to talkin cowboys you may be right

I think they were actually talking about Johnson.

Sorry for the confusion

 

[5Stars]

Well done!

I'm not sold on Rosario, Selvie or a 6th WR.

I could see Frampton being the 5th Safety. As you indicated he is a better Safety than McCray and similar Special Teams player. Also, his salary is probably about 1/2 of McCray's. I think Hamilton will make it to the practice squad because no other team wanted him enough to give him a priority UDFA type bonus/guarantee.

I wonder if they would consider putting Livings on the designated for return IR. He would have to be on the roster for game 1, but after that they could bring back another player. Guys like Selvie, Armstrong or even Rosario would probably still be available after game 1 if they don't make the initial cut.

I don't know if Magee would make it to the practice squad. Other teams must have wanted him because the Cowboys gave him 70k guaranteed, whereas no other UDFA received more than 10k. On the flip side, they were able to keep Leary on the practice squad for part of 2012.

Weems in an interesting player. Physically, he seems like a good developmental player; however, he appears to have zero chance to contribute this year. His technique/awareness is a mess. The Cowboys are his 4th NFL since coming out of college in 2012. It seems like he would make it to the practice squad, but who knows.

Really? He looked really bad from what I have seen, but then again, I'm no expert.

 

[JayBout2]

Well done.
However, I don't think the team will carry two safeties on the Practice Squad. The more likely scenerio is that they will place one Safety, one Corner on the Practice Squad. Assuming that to be the case, Hamilton and Heath are in the race for the PS spot at Safety. Underwood appears ineligible for the Corner Practice Squad spot due to his time on the active roster in Green Bay. Brewer and Pellerin are in the race for the other PS spot at Corner. Pellerin jumped out to many on game film from the HOF game. Though his technique was not the best on each and every snap, Pellerin appears to have fantastic instincts (the kind you can’t teach) and could turn out to be a contributor on the outside.

 

[gimmesix]

I wonder if they would consider putting Livings on the designated for return IR. He would have to be on the roster for game 1, but after that they could bring back another player. Guys like Selvie, Armstrong or even Rosario would probably still be available after game 1 if they don't make the initial cut.

I don't know if Magee would make it to the practice squad. Other teams must have wanted him because the Cowboys gave him 70k guaranteed, whereas no other UDFA received more than 10k. On the flip side, they were able to keep Leary on the practice squad for part of 2012.

Weems in an interesting player. Physically, he seems like a good developmental player; however, he appears to have zero chance to contribute this year. His technique/awareness is a mess. The Cowboys are his 4th NFL since coming out of college in 2012. It seems like he would make it to the practice squad, but who knows.

That's not a bad idea on Livings.

As far as Magee goes, I think his size is an advantage as far as getting him to the PS goes. Teams wanted him because he was making plays all over the place in college despite his size, but I don't think he's made enough plays in camp for teams to overlook his size.

I'm not sold at all on Weems even being a PS guy.

 

[gimmesix]

Well done.
However, I don't think the team will carry two safeties on the Practice Squad. The more likely scenerio is that they will place one Safety, one Corner on the Practice Squad. Assuming that to be the case, Hamilton and Heath are in the race for the PS spot at Safety. Underwood appears ineligible for the Corner Practice Squad spot due to his time on the active roster in Green Bay. Brewer and Pellerin are in the race for the other PS spot at Corner. Pellerin jumped out to many on game film from the HOF game. Though his technique was not the best on each and every snap, Pellerin appears to have fantastic instincts (the kind you can’t teach) and could turn out to be a contributor on the outside.

I don't see it working that way. I think they will keep the guys with the most upside, and I don't see much upside in the PS-eligible corners. And we're better set at corner, so the Cowboys might want to keep looking at the safety candidates, especially with Johnson's injury issues.

 

[gimmesix]

Really? He looked really bad from what I have seen, but then again, I'm no expert.

I thought he played better than McCray when given a chance last year. It isn't like he's someone you want on the field, but he's an upgrade to McCray and outplayed him on special teams last year, too.

 

[5Stars]

I thought he played better than McCray when given a chance last year. It isn't like he's someone you want on the field, but he's an upgrade to McCray and outplayed him on special teams last year, too.

Maybe I just don't like his name? Seems that he should be playing guitar instead of football?

 

[gimmesix]

Nice list, although I think 6 is a little light on LBs.

Might be, but the 4-3 puts a greater emphasis on linemen. That's one reason Parcells, I believe, liked the 3-4 because he could keep more linebackers.

Plus, as of now, I haven't seen a reason to keep any of the other linebackers on the 53. Selvie at least has his performance against Miami to look at, but Magee, Reed, McSurdy, etc., haven't made many standout plays.

 

[gimmesix]

I'd make a few changes:
1) Hamilton or Heath over Frampton at safety (Upside and money savings)
2) Magee over Albright at LB if they keep 6 LBs

And I'd seriously consider:
1) Green over Armstrong at #6 WR. Might be substantial cost savings and Green may have more upside at this juncture.
2) Weems at OT over 4th RB Tanner or 6th LB Magee if it looked like Weems would be taken from the PS. Might only go with 5 LBs early in the season since Wilber and Spencer can serve as emergency LBs in a pinch. Magee would probably make it to the practice squad. Or perhaps Weems over Arkin. Is Arkin eligible for the practice squad?

I'd like to see more from the guys you mentioned as replacements before going that route. I think all of them could make it to the practice squad, and right now, they haven't done enough to deserve more than that.

I am still iffy on the Tanner selection, though. I don't like keeping four RBs, but Tanner consistently stands out on special teams.

 

[gimmesix]

Maybe I just don't like his name? Seems that he should be playing guitar instead of football?

Thought maybe you didn't like him hitting defenseless return men.