2026 OTAs and Minicamp Thread...

Cowboys 53-man roster projection: Joe Milton or Sam Howell? Who is fifth WR?​

James Houston of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a fumble recovery against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 28, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.
James Houston had 5.5 sacks and six tackles for loss last season with the Cowboys. Is that enough to earn him a roster spot in 2026?

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May 12, 2026 6:02 am EDT​

Brian Schottenheimer didn’t know exactly what the Dallas Cowboys’ defense would look like a month ago. He knew he’d have a key piece to build around in defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. He knew he would have a new defensive coordinator in Christian Parker.

But the Cowboys coach needed to see how things worked out in the NFL Draft to get a better idea. Coming away from the first round with two key defensive pieces like Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence has a significant impact.


“Not that the talent acquisition piece ever stops,” Schottenheimer said last week. “It doesn’t stop. But, like, now we know, for the most part, what our roster’s going to look like. Now is when those big decisions are made.”

With that in mind, it seemed like a good time to do some predicting about what the Cowboys roster could look like this upcoming season.

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So, here’s our latest 53-man roster projection.

Quarterback (2)​

Dallas has three veteran quarterbacks who could each make the roster, but it seems difficult to keep that many. Joe Milton and Sam Howell will battle for the backup job throughout training camp and the preseason. Either one could win the job. Howell has the experience, having started 18 NFL games, but Milton has the higher upside. It’s hard to believe that the Cowboys would part ways with Milton after trading a fifth-round pick for him a year ago.

Dak Prescott
Joe Milton


Running back (3)​

The Cowboys say they like their young running back group behind Javonte Williams. Hunter Luepke is basically the other lock to make the roster. He helps as a running back, fullback and tight end. And Schottenheimer has talked about getting him more involved this season. They could keep two more, but there’s better value at other positions. The third spot comes down to Jaydon Blue, Malik Davis and Phil Mafah. Any one of them could be the guy, but Blue, a fifth-round pick last year, gets the edge because of his upside. There’s a good chance that they keep three and get a fourth from this group over to the practice squad.​
Javonte Williams​

Hunter Luepke​

Jaydon Blue​


Tight end (4)​

The top three are basically locked in. That leaves one more spot that will likely come down to Princeton Fant and undrafted rookie free agents Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers. Fant has the experience, but Trigg has the higher upside.​
Jake Ferguson​

Brevyn Spann-Ford​

Luke Schoonmaker​

Michael Trigg​

Wide receiver (5)​

There are no questions about the top four, so the predicting comes down to the fifth and possibly sixth spots. Jonathan Mingo fits because he can help on special teams. That will be a key factor in determining the final wide receiver spots. His competition includes seventh-round pick Anthony Smith, veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Tyler Johnson, reserve/future players Traeshon Holden and Parris Campbell, and undrafted rookie free agents Jordan Hudson and Camden Brown. A strong camp and preseason could put anyone from this group in the mix for a final spot, but Mingo, a 2023 second-round pick, gets the edge if it’s only one.​
CeeDee Lamb​

George Pickens​

Ryan Flournoy​

KaVontae Turpin​

Jonathan Mingo​

Offensive line (10)​

Anywhere from nine to 11 could be the number here. The starting five is expected to be the same as last season, with Tyler Guyton being the biggest question at left tackle. He’ll get competition for the starting spot from Nate Thomas and Drew Shelton. That leaves Thomas, Shelton and Ajani Cornelius as the tackle depth. TJ Bass and Trevor Keegan provide depth on the inside. Shelton is also expected to get some work at guard. If no one emerges as the backup center, the Cowboys could keep veteran Matt Hennessy. Another player to keep an eye on during training camp is undrafted rookie free-agent tackle Shiyazh Pete (6-9, 310). He could also factor into the left tackle competition.​
Tyler Smith​

Cooper Beebe​

Tyler Booker​

Tyler Guyton​

Terence Steele​

Nate Thomas​

Drew Shelton​

TJ Bass​

Trevor Keegan​

Ajani Cornelius​



Defensive line (5)​

The top four are locked in — the final spot comes down to Otito Ogbonnia and Jay Toia. Dallas could keep both, but I have them going with six outside linebackers, so I went with only five defensive linemen. Five might seem light, but the change to a 3-4 places a bigger emphasis on outside linebacker.​
Quinnen Williams​

Kenny Clark​

Jonathan Bullard​

LT Overton​

Otito Ogbonnia​

Outside linebacker (6)​

This is one of the tougher position groups to project because of the move to make Marist Liufau an outside linebacker. His value might not be viewed the same with the new coaching staff. If the move works for him, he would be a good piece to keep. He’s been a major contributor on special teams. The top three are obvious. The next three are much more up in the air.​
Rashan Gary​

Donovan Ezeiruaku​

Malachi Lawrence​

Sam Williams​

James Houston​

Tyrus Wheat​

Inside linebacker (5)​

This was Dallas’ biggest position of need entering the draft. Although the Cowboys traded for Dee Winters during the draft, another move could be made before the start of the season. As of right now, Curtis Robinson and Justin Barron appear to be the competition for the final spot. The top four all seem like good bets to be on the roster Week 1. “I don’t think you’re ever finished building a room,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said about the inside linebacker position after the draft. “You’re always looking for ways to improve it and all the way up to the end of the draft. We were looking at guys who might could help us. In some cases, we went in different directions because we thought it was the better choice to make. But I think our eyes are wide open as we move forward to always looking to improve.”​
DeMarvion Overshown​

Dee Winters​

Jaishawn Barham​

Shemar James​

Justin Barron​
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trikweze Bridges (25) reacts after an interception against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High.

Trikweze Bridges played 24 percent of the defensive snaps last season for the Cowboys and intercepted a pass against the Broncos.

Cornerback (6)​

The Cowboys have a lot of options here. The top five look to be good bets to make the roster. But Dallas could keep six. That would leave one final spot for Trikweze Bridges, Reddy Steward, Caelen Carson, Zion Childress, Josh Butler or Corey Ballentine. It’ll be interesting to see over the next few months who stands out most to Parker. After all, the defensive backfield is his specialty. Right now, we’ll give the edge to Bridges.​
Daron Bland​

Shavon Revel​

Cobie Durant​

Derion Kendrick​

Devin Moore​

Trikweze Bridges​

Safety (4)​

With Downs expected to contribute significantly at nickel cornerback, the Cowboys could keep only five cornerbacks and go with five safeties. The four listed here are all expected to make the roster. A fifth safety spot would likely belong to Markquese Bell. Look for Dallas to keep at least 10 defensive backs. The player who helps most on special teams could be the difference between the Cowboys going with four or five safeties.​
Caleb Downs​

Jalen Thompson​

Malik Hooker​

PJ Locke​

Special teams (3)​

This is the easiest area to project. As expected, there is no other roster competition for these three spots.​
Brandon Aubrey, kicker​

Bryan Anger, punter​

Trent Sieg, long snapper​
Jon Machota is a staff writer covering the Dallas Cowboys for The Athletic. He previously covered the Cowboys for The Dallas Morning News. He's a Detroit native and graduate of Wayne State University.
 
ravidubey said:
They spent a 4th on him and think of him still as a developing 2nd

Same reason I’d be shocked to see Loofah (3rd) or Milton (5th) exit the roster despite the fact they’ll almost certainly get outplayed.
Click to expand...
Do not besmirch teh Loofah!
 
ravidubey said:
They spent a 4th on him and think of him still as a developing 2nd

Same reason I’d be shocked to see Loofah (3rd) or Milton (5th) exit the roster despite the fact they’ll almost certainly get outplayed.
Click to expand...


I think Liufau is not long for this team. I think he'd have to really really stand out to make it at OLB. They didn't move him because they think he's awesome. I'll be surprised if he makes it.
 
Fuck! Finally get away from that bitch training me and get on the board to see this. I may intentionally drive around after work to find a puppy to run over.
 
I was surprised when they openly called out Loofah as an OLB.

They should not be committed to that, given whom they drafted and traded for, IMO, but hey, they (should) know best.

He should provide depth at ILB and OLB should be left to those with a knack for blitzing/rushing as well as standard pass and run defense.

I'd bury him on the depth chart until he proves why we drafted him in the 3rd, as I don't think we've ever seen him excel at pass rushing or blitzing.
 
They're both a dead end to a shitty road. Our backup situation will be shoddy for the next couple years until we can get a decent draft pick in here.
 
NoDak said:
They're both a dead end to a shitty road. Our backup situation will be shoddy for the next couple years until we can get a decent draft pick in here.
Click to expand...

If Guyton can pull his head out of his ass I think next year might be a good year to take a guy in the 1st to groom for 2 years or so behind Dak.

But knowing how this organization operates they're going to want to use that pick to try to win immediately.
 
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