Roster Projection:
Mark Nzeocha on NFI.
Chaz Green on PUP.
Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain on the suspended list.
OFFENSE (24)
QB (2) - Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden - neither Vaughan nor Showers have shown enough to go long at this position. Practice Squad will be the developing ground for one of them,
RB (3) - Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar - Dunbar returning kicks will add to gameday value.
FB (1) - Tyler Clutts. I could see Clutts' roster spot being a week to week thing.
WR (5) - Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street, Lucky Whitehead - Street will make it since he's the second best WR blocker on the team (next to Williams). A.J. Jenkins could get consideration for the 5th WR position, but a lack of special teams contributions will do him in.
TE (4) - Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna, Geoff Swaim - with the Cowboys trading a future draft pick for him, and Swaim showing some potential, I think he makes the team. Hanna's spot could be tenuous.
OT (4) - Tyron Smith, Doug Free, Darrion Weems, Laurence Gibson - neither Weems nor Gibson should be too comfortable. Tony Hills could be brought back to be the swing OT. Gibson played both left and right tackle last night. He has the requisite athleticism, but he is raw as can be, and needs to convert weight room strength to functional football strength. He lets defenders get into his body too easily, and loses the leverage battle more than he should.
OG (4) - Ron Leary, Zack Martin, Mackenzy Bernadeau, La'el Collins - Leary and Martin are as good a guard combo as there is in the league. Collins played only RG last night. He still needs some seasoning, but has all of the raw tools to be a very good player. Bernadeau is a better center than guard, but is an adequate backup.
C (1) - Travis Frederick - they are in very good hands with Frederick. As valuable a player as there is on the team.
DEFENSE (26)
DE (5) - DeMarcus Lawrence, Jeremy Mincey, Randy Gregory, Ryan Russell, Lavar Edwards - Ben Gardner is just too limited a player physically to make this team. He has a great motor, but just is too ineffectual, and is not position diverse. Russell has shown potential at both end and the 3 technique. Gregory looks like a future star, and perhaps a present one. Lawrence's time in the weight room has served him well. He looks poised for a very solid season. Edwards is a strong end who can set the edge, and flashed more rush ability this preseason. His spot is a placeholder for when Greg Hardy's suspension ends.
DT (5) - Tyrone Crawford, Nick Hayden, Jack Crawford, Davon Coleman, Ken Bishop - Terrell McClain cannot stay healthy, and thus, is not reliable enough. Coleman has been the most pleasant surprise, showing a lot of power and quickness to his game. Jack Crawford and Tyrone Crawford should be a good tag team at the 3T position - a lot of upfield quickness in that duo. Bishop beats out McClain due to availability - Bishop has shown it, McClain has not.
OLB (5) - Sean Lee, Damien Wilson, Kyle Wilber, Andrew Gachkar, Keith Smith - Lee is the key. If he stays healthy, this defense has the shot to play at a very high level. If he isn't, it will be a huge problem. Wilson is aggressive, and has a nose for the ball, but he is on the ground too much. Wilber contributes in a lot of areas, especially on special teams. Gachkar is another versatile, winning type of player. Keith Smith has been very impressive, and has flown to the ball in his opportunities. He needs to keep it up, as his spot will be in jeopardy when Rolando McClain is back from his suspension.
MLB (2) - Anthony Hitchens, Jasper Brinkley - Hitchens needs to figure out have to protect his legs better - this is two years in a row with ankle issues. He is a very valuable piece, and was a very good selection a season ago. Brinkley finally showed up against his old team yesterday. His guaranteed money will likely dictate him keeping his roster spot.
CB (5) - Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Tyler Patmon, Byron Jones, Corey White - a lot of versatility with Jones and White - traits that make this unit very deep. Carr played big in the playoffs last season - his confidence is as high as it has been since he joined the Cowboys. Claiborne has a huge chance to rebound with Scandrick out for the season. He needs to put up, or one of the others will take his spot. Patmon has a lot of pressure on him to hold down the slot position. It will be interesting to see how he holds up with the spotlight on him.
SS (2) - Barry Church, Danny McCray - McCray was the biggest beneficiary of the Scandrick injury. Without it, he would have been cut.
FS (2) - J.J. Wilcox, Jeff Heath - Wilcox needs to take the next step. He's physically all that you want in a safety, but mentally, he plays a step slow. In many ways, he's a huge key to the defense this season. While Jones and White have the physical ability to play FS, neither have the hitting ability of Wilcox. Heath has been a punching bag for the fan base, but in reality, he's a solid player who is a strong special teams contributor.
SPECIALISTS (3)
LS - L.P. Ladouceur - one of the most underrated performers on the team. Consistently excellent at his role.
P - Chris Jones - another punching bag of the fan base, but a good punter who does well on limiting returns and keeping the ball inside the 20.
K - Dan Bailey - has been excellent, and one of the team's very best players, but struggled in the playoffs, and needs to straighten things out.
PRACTICE SQUAD (not complete)
QB Dustin Vaughan - not my preference, but I think the coaching staff gives him another year to develop. Regressed big time this preseason.
C Shane McDermott - showed enough to think that he could develop into a backup in the future.
RB Gus Johnson - no power back on the roster, can serve role on the scout team and still develop.
WR Nick Harwell - showed some potential, worth giving a shot to develop.
LB Jonathan Brown - showed decent run and chase skills.
DE Ben Gardner - good candidate for scout team duty, as he has experience in both a 3-4 and 4-3 scheme.
DE Efe Obada - physically has a lot of tools. Needs to learn how to play, and learn leverage.
CB Joel Ross - showed decent cover skills in camp.
Others will be added to the PS from other teams.
