Here’s is my guesstimate on the Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster. I might update it later today/tomorrow, I’m still unsure about a couple of moves. But for now, I’m going with this. My reasoning at each position is below the chart.
| Pos | Offense | Pos | Defense |
| QB | Tony Romo Brad Johnson |
NT | Jason Ferguson Jay Ratliff |
| RB | Marion Barber Julius Jones Tyson Thompson |
DE | Chris Canty Jason Hatcher Marcus Spears Stephen Bowen |
| FB | Oliver Hoyte Lousaka Polite |
OLB | DeMarcus Ware Anthony Spencer Greg Ellis Junior Glymph |
| TE | Jason Witten Anthony Fasano Tony Curtis |
ILB | Bradie James Akin Ayodele Bobby Carpenter (ILB/OLB) Kevin Burnett |
| WR | Terrell Owens Terry Glenn Patrick Crayton Sam Hurd Miles Austin Isaiah Stanback |
CB | Terence Newman Anthony Henry Aaron Glenn Jacques Reeves Joey Thomas Quincy Butler |
| T | Flozell Adams Marc Colombo Doug Free James Marten |
SS | Roy Williams Keith Davis Abram Elam |
| C | Andre Gurode Cory Procter |
FS | Ken Hamlin Pat Watkins |
| G | Leonard Davis Kyle Kosier Pat McQuistan (T/G) |
P/K/LS | Mat McBriar Nick Folk L.P. Ladouceur |
| Practice squad |
| Deon Anderson Matt Moore John Saldi Courtney Brown Alonzo Coleman Jerheme Urban Remi Ayodele Alan Ball |
QB – Matt Moore to the practice squad. The Cowboys only keep two because they need the roster spot
RB – Easy decision.
FB – Lousaka Polite gets the edge over Deon Anderson. The rookie goes to the PS, Polite is more experienced and had a little better preseason.
TE – Easy decision.
WR – Tough one, but Jerheme Urban’s one shining moment isn’t enough to hold onto a roster spot. Miles Austin can return kick-offs and looks better as a WR in the regular offense. Edge Austin. Yes, I thought about keeping seven WR’s, but I couldn’t make it work.
OL – Unfortunately, we have to keep James Marten, who hasn’t shown much yet. That puts us in a bind at tackle, were we have to keep five. Cory Procter is the first off the bench at either center or guard, and if they need another guard Pat McQuistan could do it in a pinch. For this reason, Joe Berger is released.
DL – Stephen Bowen could become a player, I want to keep him around and someone would probably grab him if he was released. For this reason, Remi Ayodele had to go. Jay Ratliff slides over as the #2 NT and DT on the nickel/dime sets. Remi goes to the practice squad.
OLB – I kept Junior Glymph even though his play has been falling off in the preseason. With the Greg Ellis injury, we need someone else there, especially with Bobby Carpenter playing different roles on defense.
ILB – Easy decision.
CB – Another very tough one that affected other parts of the roster. With Terence Newman’s injury and the lack of stellar backups, the Cowboys need options here so I kept six. Aaron Glenn and Jacques Reeves complete the top four to me, and my guess is Reeves would see action if Newman was out; either in the nickel or starting with Glenn playing the nickel. I kept Joey Thomas because he has athletic ability and he can make plays, but he has to refine his technique and play consistently. I kept Quincy Butler because he also has athletic ability and can be the backup punt returner to Patrick Crayton.
S – Abram Elam gets the nod over Courtney Brown based on special teams play and one year of experience. Brown goes to the PS.
K – Sorry Martin Gramatica, I needed the roster spot.