The initial Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster has officially been set

We have passed 4:00 PM ET on Saturday, September 5th, 2020 which means one very important thing as it pertains to the National Football League - initial 53-man rosters are set.

It is important to remember that these are in fact initial 53-man rosters. The group that we are seeing here from the Dallas Cowboys is very likely to change over the course of the next 24 hours, but obviously this is the meat of the group that will begin the season together.

There is a very important distinction to consider with regards to the way that rosters are working in the year 2020. Certain protocols have been put in place as a result of Covid-19 and one of them has to do with players that are designated to return off of injured reserve. In normal years you are limited as a team on the number of players that can return after six weeks on injured reserve, this year an unlimited number can return after three weeks.

Players must initially be carried on a 53-man roster in order to be eligible for this at the beginning of the season. It is very possible that we see this happen with the likes of Sean Lee and/or Jourdan Lewis. You can see all of the players that the Cowboys cut right here.

2020 Dallas Cowboys initial 53-man roster

It should also be mentioned that the Cowboys are going to receiver a special roster designation for the returning Randy Gregory. He is not eligible to play for the Cowboys until Week 7, but between now and then he will not count on the team’s official roster.

Some of these roster spots were very obvious. Some have been a surprise. Here they are.

Quarterback (3)

• Dak Prescott
• Andy Dalton
• Ben DiNucci

Running Back (3)

• Ezekiel Elliott
• Tony Pollard
• Rico Dowdle

Wide Receiver (6)

• Amari Cooper
• Michael Gallup
• CeeDee Lamb
• Cedrick Wilson
• Noah Brown
• Ventell Bryant

Tight End (4)

• Blake Jarwin
• Dalton Schultz
• Blake Bell
• Sean McKeon

Offensive Line (10)

• Tyron Smith
• Connor Williams
• Joe Looney
• Zack Martin
• La’el Collins
• Cam Erving
• Brandon Knight
• Connor McGovern
• Tyler Biadasz
• Terence Steele

Defensive End (6)

• DeMarcus Lawrence
• Tyrone Crawford
• Everson Griffen
• Aldon Smith
• Dorance Armstrong
• Bradlee Anae

Defensive Tackle (4)

• Dontari Poe
• Trysten Hill
• Antwaun Woods
• Neville Gallimore

Linebacker (5)

• Leighton Vander Esch
• Jaylon Smith
• Sean Lee
• Luke Gifford
• Joe Thomas

Secondary (9)

• Chidobe Awuzie
• Jourdan Lewis
• Anthony Brown
• Trevon Diggs
• Daryl Worley
• Xavier Woods
• Darian Thompson
• Donovan Wilson
• Reggie Robinson II

Specialists (3)

• Chris Jones
• Greg Zuerlein
• L.P. Ladouceur

Again, it is important to note that this is an initial 53-man roster for the Dallas Cowboys. As mentioned, some of these names might be on injured reserve in a day’s time, some of the players released by the team might be back, or there might be players brought in that were not a part of the group previously. For example the team recently had former cornerback Brandon Carr in for a visit.

You might notice that neither Justin March nor CJ Goodwin are part of the roster as it stands at the moment. The Dallas Morning News reported that they are both expected to be on the roster come Week 1, but that there are maneuvers that need to be made to get there. As mentioned there will be changes coming soon.

What do you think of the initial group?