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Cowboys' first 53-man roster outlook
August, 31, 2013
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com
This is not the Dallas Cowboys’ final 53-man roster. Far from it. It’s their first 53-man roster, and there will be plenty of revisions to come as the Cowboys churn through the bottom of the roster and deal with injuries that inevitably hit during the long NFL season.
Here’s a look at those who survived the cuts to 53:
QUARTERBACKS (2)
Tony Romo
Kyle Orton
The Cowboys never planned to keep a third quarterback on the roster. It would have taken an absolutely spectacular preseason from Alex Tanney to get the front office and coaches to even consider changing their minds. The hope is that Tanney will clear waivers and return to Valley Ranch as a member of the practice squad.
RUNNING BACKS (4)
DeMarco Murray
Lance Dunbar
Phillip Tanner
Joseph Randle
It’s hard to see the rookie Randle being active on game days as long as the other backs are healthy. Dunbar appears primed to be a dynamic change-of-pace back once he recovers from his sprained foot, and Tanner is a solid third back who serves as a core special-teams player.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5)
Dez Bryant
Miles Austin
Terrance Williams
Dwayne Harris
Cole Beasley
There wasn’t any room for Anthony Armstrong, although maybe the Cowboys add him after Week 1, when his salary won’t be guaranteed. With a 100-percent Austin, this group can be one of the league’s elite receiver corps.
TIGHT ENDS (5)
Jason Witten
James Hanna
Gavin Escobar
Dante Rosario
Andre Smith
The Cowboys went heavy here, keeping Smith because he’s by far the best blocker among the backups. Could Rosario be trade bait?
OFFENSIVE LINE (10)
Tyron Smith
Doug Free
Travis Frederick
Ronald Leary
Mackenzy Bernadeau
Jermey Parnell
Phil Costa
Nate Livings
David Arkin
Darrion Weems
Don’t write any of the bottom few names in ink. Livings, whose $1.7 million salary is guaranteed no matter what, has a degenerative knee condition that could prevent him from ever contributing to the Cowboys again. Dallas should be able to find upgrades over Arkin and Weems on the waiver wire or in free agency. They can also trim from this unit to add depth at other positions.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9)
DeMarcus Ware
Anthony Spencer
Jason Hatcher
Nick Hayden
Sean Lissemore
Ben Bass
Kyle Wilber
George Selvie
Landon Cohen
This is another spot at which the Cowboys need to be aggressive in searching for depth and/or upgrades. They can’t just count on Jay Ratliff coming off the physically unable to perform list six games into the season.
LINEBACKERS (5)
Sean Lee
Bruce Carter
Justin Durant
Ernie Sims
DeVonte Holloman
It’s safe to assume that the Cowboys will add to this group. It’d be crazy to go into a season with only five linebackers, especially considering the durability issues that their best two have dealt with during their careers.
CORNERBACKS (4)
Brandon Carr
Morris Claiborne
Orlando Scandrick
B.W. Webb
This is another spot the Cowboys need to add immediate depth. Sterling Moore was the biggest surprise among the cuts. He had a better camp and preseason than Webb. The Cowboys are high on the fourth-round rookie’s potential, but he’s not ready for prime time right now.
SAFETIES (6)
Barry Church
Will Allen
J.J. Wilcox
Danny McCray
Eric Frampton
Jeff Heath
Heath was the only undrafted rookie to survive cuts. McCray, the special-teams ace, took a significant pay cut to stay in Dallas. Frampton, who also makes six figures, provides a veteran presence who can contribute on special teams and is a more reliable safety than McCray. The Cowboys protected their fourth-round investment in Matt Johnson by putting the injury-prone 2012 pick on injured reserve.
SPECIALISTS (3)
Dan Bailey
Chris Jones
L.P. LaDouceur
Never any questions here.
August, 31, 2013
By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com
This is not the Dallas Cowboys’ final 53-man roster. Far from it. It’s their first 53-man roster, and there will be plenty of revisions to come as the Cowboys churn through the bottom of the roster and deal with injuries that inevitably hit during the long NFL season.
Here’s a look at those who survived the cuts to 53:
QUARTERBACKS (2)
Tony Romo
Kyle Orton
The Cowboys never planned to keep a third quarterback on the roster. It would have taken an absolutely spectacular preseason from Alex Tanney to get the front office and coaches to even consider changing their minds. The hope is that Tanney will clear waivers and return to Valley Ranch as a member of the practice squad.
RUNNING BACKS (4)
DeMarco Murray
Lance Dunbar
Phillip Tanner
Joseph Randle
It’s hard to see the rookie Randle being active on game days as long as the other backs are healthy. Dunbar appears primed to be a dynamic change-of-pace back once he recovers from his sprained foot, and Tanner is a solid third back who serves as a core special-teams player.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5)
Dez Bryant
Miles Austin
Terrance Williams
Dwayne Harris
Cole Beasley
There wasn’t any room for Anthony Armstrong, although maybe the Cowboys add him after Week 1, when his salary won’t be guaranteed. With a 100-percent Austin, this group can be one of the league’s elite receiver corps.
TIGHT ENDS (5)
Jason Witten
James Hanna
Gavin Escobar
Dante Rosario
Andre Smith
The Cowboys went heavy here, keeping Smith because he’s by far the best blocker among the backups. Could Rosario be trade bait?
OFFENSIVE LINE (10)
Tyron Smith
Doug Free
Travis Frederick
Ronald Leary
Mackenzy Bernadeau
Jermey Parnell
Phil Costa
Nate Livings
David Arkin
Darrion Weems
Don’t write any of the bottom few names in ink. Livings, whose $1.7 million salary is guaranteed no matter what, has a degenerative knee condition that could prevent him from ever contributing to the Cowboys again. Dallas should be able to find upgrades over Arkin and Weems on the waiver wire or in free agency. They can also trim from this unit to add depth at other positions.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9)
DeMarcus Ware
Anthony Spencer
Jason Hatcher
Nick Hayden
Sean Lissemore
Ben Bass
Kyle Wilber
George Selvie
Landon Cohen
This is another spot at which the Cowboys need to be aggressive in searching for depth and/or upgrades. They can’t just count on Jay Ratliff coming off the physically unable to perform list six games into the season.
LINEBACKERS (5)
Sean Lee
Bruce Carter
Justin Durant
Ernie Sims
DeVonte Holloman
It’s safe to assume that the Cowboys will add to this group. It’d be crazy to go into a season with only five linebackers, especially considering the durability issues that their best two have dealt with during their careers.
CORNERBACKS (4)
Brandon Carr
Morris Claiborne
Orlando Scandrick
B.W. Webb
This is another spot the Cowboys need to add immediate depth. Sterling Moore was the biggest surprise among the cuts. He had a better camp and preseason than Webb. The Cowboys are high on the fourth-round rookie’s potential, but he’s not ready for prime time right now.
SAFETIES (6)
Barry Church
Will Allen
J.J. Wilcox
Danny McCray
Eric Frampton
Jeff Heath
Heath was the only undrafted rookie to survive cuts. McCray, the special-teams ace, took a significant pay cut to stay in Dallas. Frampton, who also makes six figures, provides a veteran presence who can contribute on special teams and is a more reliable safety than McCray. The Cowboys protected their fourth-round investment in Matt Johnson by putting the injury-prone 2012 pick on injured reserve.
SPECIALISTS (3)
Dan Bailey
Chris Jones
L.P. LaDouceur
Never any questions here.
