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This past weekend, immediately following the draft, our very own KD took a shot at the Cowboys 90-Man roster, and that got the rest of us thinking, so Tom Ryle and myself decided we would take our best guess at what the 53-man group would look like in week 1 when the Cowboys face the Giants at Cowboys stadium on NBC.
So here we go...
| Tom Ryle | Joey Ickes | ||
| 2 Quarterbacks 2 | |||
| Romo | It worked last year - and who else is there? The UDFA from Akron may make the practice squad, but it is hard to see him on the 53. | Romo | Only reason to carry 3 QBs when you have 2 vets is if there's a developmental guy, he's not here yet. |
| Orton | Orton | ||
| 4 Running Backs 3 | |||
| Murray | Tanner was a disappointment when he got a chance last year. The team will not carry a fullback. | Murray | Randle provides a "Murray 2.0" in case the starter goes down, & Lawrence is an upgrade COP back over Dunbar. I don't see a fullback on the roster. |
| Randle | Randle | ||
| Dunbar | Lawrence | ||
| Lawrence | |||
| 6 Wide Receivers 5 | |||
| Bryant | I think Benford is this year's Beasley. Just because. | Bryant | Coale will bring more on ST's than Beasley so he gets the 5th spot. |
| Austin | Austin | ||
| Williams | Williams | ||
| Harris | Harris | ||
| Coale | Coale | ||
| Benford | |||
| 4 Tight Ends 4 |
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| Witten | Beefing up to run the 12 and 13 sets. While Stewart is perhaps the de facto fullback replacement, look for a lot of work getting Hanna and Escobar to be better blockers so the run plays aren't tipped. | Witten | This will be a fun group this year. Stewart is your goal line 3rd TE but Hanna and Escobar will get work in the open field behind the Hall of Famer. |
| Hanna | Escobar | ||
| Escobar | Hanna | ||
| Stewart | Stewart | ||
| 3 Offensive Tackles 3 | |||
| Smith | I think Doug Free screws himself right off the roster. | Smith | I think if we waited till the end of the week we may know the starting RT, but I don't think it ends up being someone on the current roster. |
| FA (TBD) | FA (TBD) | ||
| Parnell | Parnell | ||
| 6 Guards/Centers 6 | |||
| Frederick | Yes, I think this is the year Killer K breaks through as a backup. No reason, just do. And I think Costa moves over to guard. A lot of "experts" don't think he can play there, but I think he is going to surprise some people. Again, just a feeling. | Frederick | It's the end of the road for Arkin. The one guy who can shake this up is actually Leary, if he takes the big jump, Livings could end up on the streets. |
| Bernadeau | Bernadeau | ||
| Costa | Livings | ||
| Cook | Costa | ||
| Leary | Cook | ||
| Kowalski | Leary | ||
| 8 Defensive Linemen 9 | |||
| Ware | I didn't break out DE/DT because I think Monte will find a DT that can sub in at DE in a pinch. This is a group where I would most expect to see some different names pop up, but it's my best guess. | Ware | Fisher & Broaddus are talking like 97 will be a rotational guy rather than a starter. |
| Spencer | Hatcher | ||
| Wilber | Ratliff | ||
| Crawford | Spencer | ||
| Hatcher | Crawford | ||
| Ratliff | Lissemore | ||
| Lissemore | Wilber | ||
| Price | Bass | ||
| Price | |||
| 6 Linebackers 7 | |||
| Lee | The Swiss Army knife just can't be run off. I can see Albright playing for seven or eight years as an all-purpose LB backup, and maybe sub in at DE in a real crisis. He has been discussed doing it all. | Lee | Probably the group I'm most excited about. Lots of guys who will run and hit you. Playmakers and RKGs fill this room. |
| Carter | Carter | ||
| Durant | Durant | ||
| Magee | Holloman | ||
| Holloman | Magee | ||
| Albright | Albright | ||
| Sims | |||
| 6 Cornerbacks 6 | |||
| Carr | Last spot in training camp comes down to Dustin Harris and Devin Smith, and Harris edges in because he is so wicked good returning punts. | Carr | I think Webb is pushing Scandrick for snaps in the nickel by mid-year, and Moore can flex to safety if they need him. Harris is my 53rd guy. |
| Claiborne | Claiborne | ||
| Moore | Scandrick | ||
| Webb | Webb | ||
| Scandrick | Moore | ||
| Harris | Harris | ||
| 5 Safeties 5 | |||
| Church | Yes, Danny sticks around for ST. | Church | Allen is better on defense and probably equal on teams, so he makes the roster over McCray. Lots of youth here, but it's the most exciting S group this team has had in a long time. |
| Johnson | Johnson | ||
| Wilcox | Wilcox | ||
| Hamilton | Allen | ||
| McCray | Hamilton | ||
| 3 Specialists 3 | |||
| Bailey | Don't mess with success | Bailey | Yeah, what he said. |
| Jones | Jones | ||
| Ladouceur | Ladouceur | ||
That's our take, what say you BTB? How do you feel about our May 1 projections?