Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Roster Cuts Are In, What's Next?

Dallas Cowboys cut-down analysis - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
In his look at the new 53-man roster, Archer cautions that the Cowboy may not be done with player acquisitions.

A word to the wise for those on the bottom of the Cowboys’ roster: don’t celebrate. The Cowboys will be active in adding players either through trades, waivers or free agency. It’s not just about upgrading the bottom of the roster. The Cowboys need to upgrade starters and key backup roles at every level of their defense. Last year the Cowboys added four players after the final cuts before the season opener. They could potentially add more players this year, so dire is the state of the defense.

Dallas Cowboys Roster Cuts: Which Players Are Most Likely To Be Claimed By Another Team? - Blogging The Boys
Players placed on waivers during the final roster cuts can only be claimed until 12:00 noon ET on Sunday. After that, the Cowboys can begin signing up to 10 players to their practice squad, and the hope is that they'll be able to sign all the players they have earmarked for a slot on their practice squad.

Scout's Eye: Forecasting The Practice Squad - Bryan Broaddus, DC.com
Broaddus reviews each candidate for the practice squad, and concludes that these 10 payers could make the 10-man practice squad:

CB Terrance Mitchell, DE Dartwan Bush, DE Kenneth Boatright, WR LaRon Byrd, OG Stephen Goodin, OC Ronald Patrick, DT Caesar Rayford, LB Keith Smith, LB Will Smith, TE Asa Watson.

Dallas Cowboys plan to put DE DeMarcus Lawrence on IR/Designated for Return list | Rainer Sabin, DMN
The headline sums up the three paragraphs of the article in their entirety.

First 53: Dallas Cowboys initial roster - Tim MacMahon, ESPN Dallas
MacMahon provides a short commentary on every position group, including this take on the QB group:

Vaughan, the undrafted free agent from West Texas A&M, surviving the cuts is a mild surprise. The Cowboys haven’t kept a third quarterback on the roster in recent years, but they saw enough potential in Vaughan to determine he was worth developing and didn’t want to expose him to waivers. They had a sixth-round draft grade on Vaughan.

Surprising and notable items from Cowboys' cut to 53 | Brandon George, DMN
Brandon George points out that keeping FB Tyler Clutts on the roster is a sign of the Cowboys' renewed commitment to the ground game.

Unlike last year, the Cowboys went with a true fullback in keeping Tyler Clutts. The Cowboys want to be a physical running team this season. But they don’t have a true blocking tight end among the three on the roster, so Clutts was a must. Last year, the Cowboys began the season with five tight ends and no fullback.

Did RB Ryan Williams get caught in a ‘numbers game’ with the Dallas Cowboys? | Rainer Sabin, DMN
With this headline, I wonder: Has anyone explained to them exactly how the 53 man roster works?

If Tony Romo isn’t right, the Cowboys are doomed | Randy Galloway, Star-Telegram
Galloway with a blinding flash of the obvious. Quick, tell me: Which NFL team would not be doomed if their QB wasn't "right?"

Cowlishaw: With more questions than answers, Cowboys look like a 5-win team | Tim Cowlishaw, DMN
Cowlishaw sees 11 reasons the glorious days of 8-8 appear to be at an end as the team slides back to 5-11.

Notable NFL roster cuts as teams reduce to 53 - NFL.com
When players are cut during final roster cuts, it's because they simply aren't good enough to warrant a roster spot. Gregg Rosenthal offers up a list of players who weren't good enough for their teams, but at least have name recognition going for them.

Should the Cowboys go after Michael Sam? - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
It's an annual exercise after final roster cuts: Cowboys fans will focus in on any player whose name they recognize, and if that player plays at a position of need the clamoring to sign that player begins. Sometimes, that clamoring begins even before the player is cut, as was he case with Michael Sam. Todd Archer received a Twitter question about whether the Cowboys should try to pick up Sam. Here's his reply, from before cuts were announced:

At the time of this writing, Sam is still with the Rams, so it's a moot point. But the Cowboys' decision (should it come up) would have nothing to do with Sam's sexual preference and everything to do with the position he plays. He's a left defensive end and the Cowboys have enough of those.