Cowboys news: Roster cuts, bubble players, the latest trade rumors, and more.

Cowboys are releasing DE Kony Ealy and DT Lewis Neal - OCC, Blogging The Boys
The first cuts to emerge yesterday were defensive linemen.

Both Ealy and Lewis got some extended playing time against the Texans Thursday night, with Ealy notching 45 snaps on defense and Neal getting 25. Perhaps they put enough on film to quickly get some interest from other teams.

What We Didn’t See Gave Us Some Answers - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
Eatman breaks down what he noticed (or didn’t notice) in the Cowboys preseason game and what that means for the 53-man roster.

Let’s start with the wide receiver position. To me, it was pretty simple: Lance Lenoir played the whole game. Deonte Thompson didn’t play at all. And even further to that, Lenoir really didn’t do much despite getting a lot of opportunities on both punt return and at receiver.

So that means that Thompson is probably your sixth receiver. And personally, it makes sense to go that route. I’ve watched a lot of Lenoir now for a couple of years and I just don’t see a scenario where the Cowboys are going to utilize him in a game setting. He’s been pretty good, but nothing really stands out in a specific trait

Jerry Jones all but confirms WR Deonte Thompson will make the 53-man roster - Connor Livesay, Blogging The Boys
Deonte Thompson seems to be safe.

Jerry Jones was a guest on GBag Nation this morning and had high praise for rookie Michael Gallup, veteran Tavon Austin, and veteran Joe Looney. When mentioning how he’s excited to see those players perform for the Cowboys this upcoming season, he mentioned Deonte Thompson and his ability to line up on the boundary and use his speed to take the top off a defense. This was a bit surprising to hear, since Thompson isn’t necessarily considered a lock to make the 53-man roster, but when the owner talks about you in the same breath as guys who are in fact locks, that has to be a good sign.

Jerry Jones on if TE Rico Gathers will make the final roster - Kate Hairopoulos, SportsDay
Rico may be safe? According to Jerry it isn’t out of the question.

Jones said the team is still weighing whether to keep TE Rico Gathers, who is in his third season of trying to transition from basketball power forward to NFL player. The Cowboys would have to be willing to keep four tight ends.

”At this point today, tomorrow, we’ve got to put our finger on what he can do for us,” Jones said. “Can he help us win? We do make decisions on future potential, but we got to specifically identify how he helps us now. My inclination is that we can do that. I think that we can have a player like Rico Gathers and benefit and use him. We do it all the time. We do it with specialized skill level, or specialized need levels. We do it all the time.

Cooper Rush doesn’t ease Cowboys’ backup QB concerns in preseason finale - Stefan Stevenson, Star-Telegram
The backup quarterback situation in Dallas is still very murky.

The Dallas Cowboys’ backup quarterback situation remains an area of concern after another rough half and some change by Cooper Rush Thursday night against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

Rush completed 14 of 25 passes for 83 yards and threw two more interceptions. If you’re keeping track, that’s four picks for Rush in a little more than four quarters over the final two preseason games.

Dallas Cowboys roster cuts: Eight veteran players on the bubble - OCC, Blogging The Boys
Which bubble players may stick around? Which bubble players will be looking for a new job on Saturday?

Second-year WR Noah Brown looks to have been outplayed for that potential seventh WR spot by Lance Lenoir, so it’s likely off to the practice squad for Brown - who is unlikely to attract any outside interest as he didn’t play a single snap this preseason.

Third-year DE Charles Tapper is stuck behind DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Taco Charlton, and Dorance Armstrong at DE. Whether he makes the roster as the fifth defensive end probably depends a lot on how many guys they keep at DT.

Third-year DT Jihad Ward causes something of a stir when the Cowboys traded for him this offseason, but things have quieted down a lot since training camp opened. In a deep room for defensive tackles, Ward might not find a seat.

Fourth-year safety Marqueston Huff was signed by the Cowboys in January, and should have had an easy route to a roster spot given the injuries at safety, but it looks like he’ll be looking to join his seventh NFL team after roster cuts.

Fourth-year OG/OT Chaz Green is playing on the final year of his rookie contract, but his preseason play hasn’t given the Cowboys any reason to hold on to him, even if he is a former third-round pick.

Predicting Cowboys’ 53-man roster. What’s verdict on Bo Scarbrough and Rico Gathers? - Clarence Hill, Star-Telegram
Did Bo show enough this preseason to hold off Darius Jackson? Hill does not think so.

Running back (4)

Ezekiel Elliott, Rod Smith, Darius Jackson and fullback Jamize Olawale

That Jackson started ahead of Bo Scarbrough Thursday night says a lot. He is a better runner and receiver night now. The Cowboys would like to get Scarbrough on the practice squad.

Report: Cowboys remain a trade option for Seahawks safety Earl Thomas - RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys
Tom Pelissero said on NFL Network that Earl Thomas remains a trade option for the Cowboys, but there's a "but".

Pelissero notes that the Seahawks have apparently had other teams reach out about acquiring Thomas, but that nobody has “met their asking price.” This sounds like Seattle trying to put word out there that they want the price upped, whether or not Dallas or any other team will meet it is a question that has hovered around this situation all along.

As we wrote in our roster cuts tracker:

In considering a piece of media, it is always good practice to ask the question “who benefits?”

So given that Seattle and Dallas have not talked about Earl Thomas since the draft, the question is: “Who profits from keeping news about the Cowboys and Earl Thomas in the headlines?”

Bob Sturm may be on the right track, but you also have to consider that media members are increasingly putting stuff out there simply to have their own name in the news.

Cowboys acquire OL Ehinger from Chiefs - National Football Post
We have a trade! The Cowboys added some offensive line depth after a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Dallas Cowboys traded cornerback Charvarius Ward to the Kansas City Chiefs for offensive lineman Parker Ehinger.

Ravaged by injuries to their vaunted offensive line, the Cowboys were seeking offensive line help, particularly a player with experience at guard and center. Ehinger, a fourth-round pick in 2016, suffered a torn ACL as a rookie and started only one game last season (Week 17).

Ward, an undrafted free agent, was expected to make the 53-man roster in Dallas. In Kansas City, he could get a chance to crack the cornerback rotation. The Chiefs’ secondary was overhauled in the offseason, including the trade of Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams and acquiring cornerback Kendall Fuller from the Washington Redskins in the Alex Smith deal.

How Michigan-raised Cowboys safety Kavon Frazier is adjusting to life in Texas, and life as a new father - Jon Machota, SportsDay
The Cowboys will need Frazier to play a big part in their defense in 2018. If you’d like to know more about the former-Central Michigan safety, this from Jon Machota is for you!

Pittsburgh Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown is partly responsible for what Frazier has called his best offseason. Frazier and Brown are products of Central Michigan. Social media posts of Brown’s intense offseason workouts caught Frazier’s eye.

”I talked to him a few times,” Frazier said. “He just mentioned how there’s always someone getting better and he doesn’t want to give up that throne.”

Frazier received a significant bump in playing time last season. He got into 15 games, totaling 33 tackles and a forced fumble.

But that’s not enough. He wants to become a starter.