Cowboys news: Difficult decisions ahead with roster cuts as Dallas turns to regular season

Experts are split over their Cowboys 53-man roster predictions - Reid Hanson, The Cowboys Wire

The other 31 teams will be watching the Cowboys roster cuts closely, as many talented players won’t make the final numbers crunch.

The 2023 Cowboys are a loaded roster. The problem isn’t “not enough good players” but rather, “too many good players.” Which specific players stay and which go depends largely on how many players the Cowboys intend to keep at each position.

Keeping six WRs?

Then Jalen Brooks will likely make the team alongside CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin.

Keeping four RBs?

Then Hunter Luepke may have a shot at joining Tony Pollard, Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle in the backfield.

How many DBs?

The Cowboys have over a dozen worthy DBs on their roster with players like Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell all on the fringe.

Is Josh Ball going on IR? Is Bell a LB now since he replaced the injured DeMarvion Overshown in most packages? Is Jourdan Lewis ready to come back from PUP?

These are just some of the questions whose answers will have a tremendous impact on the Cowboys’ final roster decisions.

Insiders are even torn. Two of the most plugged-in reporters from the Dallas Morning News are at odds in their projections. David Moore and Michael Gehlkin are some of the most respected reporters around the team today and their predictions differ dramatically.

Dallas Cowboys roster cuts tracker: All rumors, reports and everything you need to know - RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys

The easiest place to track all of today’s Cowboys roster moves.

We will update this post as names become available.

Rumors about the Dallas Cowboys roster

Kelvin Joseph and Jabril Cox may be out when things are finalized

Josh Ball reportedly has a soft tissue injury that will sideline him about two months, according to the DMN, which means Dallas will either need to carry him initially to place him on IR or move on altogether

Dallas Cowboys cuts

2023 NFL Rank: Predicting top 100 players for this season - Staff, ESPN

According to ESPN, Micah Parsons is the best defensive player in the NFL.

6. Micah Parsons

EDGE | Cowboys

Age: 24

2022 rank: 12

Parsons has finished as the runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of his first two seasons, and there is nothing to say he won’t be even better in 2023. He has been unblockable during training camp, giving future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith fits in practice. While Parsons is predominantly an edge player, the Cowboys will continue to move him around the defense to create matchups and keep offenses guessing. — Todd Archer

Signature stat: Parsons has nine multiple-sack games through his first two seasons in the NFL, which is tied for the most by any player since individual sacks became an official stat in 1982. He is one of three players with at least 13.0 sacks in each of his first two NFL seasons over that span, alongside Aldon Smith and Reggie White.

What they are saying: ”His skill has gotten better and stronger, which is now going to allow him to make more plays. So the physical gifts have always been there to beat somebody inside or beat them off the edge, but now we’re adding the skill part of it. That’s how you level up — and how do you go from being an excellent player to the very best player? That’s the margin to break through to the next ceiling.” — Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn

2023 projection: 11 sacks, 61 tackles, 2 forced fumbles

STEPHEN JONES, COWBOYS CURRENTLY WORKING HARD ON 2 MORE CONTRACT EXTENSIONS - Mario Herrera Jr., Inside The Star

The Cowboys have a strong core on offense they don’t want to see get away anytime soon.

CEEDEE LAMB

As a first round pick, CeeDee Lamb has the 5th year option on his rookie contract should the Cowboys decide to use it.

The problem with that is Justin Jefferson, arguably the best wide receiver in football was drafted in the same year as Lamb, and is also up for extension.

It is imperative that Dallas get a deal done with Lamb prior to the Vikings striking a deal with Jefferson.

Jefferson is sure to reset the market as the highest paid wide receiver of all time, and Lamb would want money either equal to or near the same.

The latest wide receiver to reset the market is Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins, who averages $30 million per season.

TERENCE STEELE

The prices for the offensive tackle market aren’t nearly as expensive, but it would be prudent to lock in Terence Steele early nonetheless.

Steele is the kind of success story that NFL teams dream of.

Little to no draft compensation spent, and receiving a Pro Bowl caliber player in return is a general manager’s main goal.

Steele thrust himself into the Cowboys starting lineup as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2020 after injuries on the offensive line forced him into action.

Since then, he has not looked back, starting 40 games in his three years.

The 2022 season ended abruptly for Steele after tearing his ACL in a Week 13 matchup versus the Houston Texans.

He has spent the entire offseason working hard on his return, and looks to reward himself and the Cowboys by being ready to go Week 1 at the New York Giants.

Despite the injury, Steele has the leverage in contract negotiations after the Cowboys struggled to run the ball effectively after his injury.

There are no obvious prospects behind him to take over at right tackle.

Bold Predictions for Cowboys’ Individual Stat Leaders in 2023 NFL Season - Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report

CeeDee Lamb was an established WR1 without much help a year ago, and now has a new offense featuring Michael Gallup, Brandin Cooks, and Jalen Tolbert to boost his stats even more.

CeeDee Lamb Eclipses 2022 Numbers

Lamb had a strong season in 2022, his first campaign without Amari Cooper as his running mate. As Dallas’ unquestioned No. 1 target, he exploded with 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 receptions.

With Gallup healthy, plus Cooks and Tolbert in the mix, Lamb should see more single coverage than he did a year ago. He’ll have to share the target load, of course, but with other viable targets on the field, he should see more explosive plays too.

Last season, Lamb’s receptions total jumped by 28 but he averaged 1.2 yards per reception less than in 2021.

Having Prescott healthy for an additional five games will certainly help the two-time Pro Bowler, who could have an even more productive season in McCarthy’s offense.

“Him just saying he wants to be more available is him saying he wants the ball and he’s going to go make plays when he can,” Prescott said, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “Confident guy, very smart. He’s really only scratched the surface in what he’s capable of doing.”

It’s all adding up for Lamb to not only lead the Cowboys in receiving yards but for him to also best the impressive campaign he had in 2022.

Stat Prediction: 101 receptions, 1,404 yards, 10 TDs

3 potential roster cuts Cowboys have to retain on the practice squad - Randy Gurzi, The Landry Hat

Dennis Houston had a strong preseason, but no clear path to see much playing time with the Cowboys revamped receivers room.

3. Dennis Houston, Wide Receiver

Last year, Dennis Houston was a surprise addition to the initial 53-man roster. Undrafted out of Western Illinois, he beat out third-round pick Jalen Tolbert and was out on the field in their opener. He ended up appearing in just two games and had two receptions on six targets for 16 yards.

Houston was eventually released and spent the majority of the season on the practice squad. Now in 2023, he has an even tougher road ahead of him with Brandin Cooks added in the offseason. There’s also been a huge leap made by Tolbert and Michael Gallup is healthier with more than a full year now separating him from his ACL tear.

Despite his place on the depth chart, Houston continues to prove himself when given a chance. He had five receptions for 62 yards this preseason, which might not sound like much, but it was more than he had in 2022. He’s continually shown in practice that he has a rapport with Dak Prescott and if there is an injury to any wideouts, he’s someone they can elevate without concern to the active roster.

Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel

We offer a different show every single day on the Blogging The Boys podcast network, and on weekdays we offer two different shows every single day.

• Monday: 1st and 10 with Tony Catalina & Aidan Davis
• Monday: Hidden Yardage with Mark Lane and Sean Martin
• Tuesday: The Writer’s Block with Brandon Loree, David Howman, Brandon Clements and Chris Halling
• Tuesday: BTB Roundtable with various BTB Staffers
• Wednesday: NFC East Mixtape with RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton
• Wednesday: Talkin’ The Star with Connor Livesay and Joey Ickes
• Thursday: The Ocho with RJ Ochoa
• Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
• Friday: Girls Talkin’ Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
• Friday: The Star Seminar with Danny Phantom and Rabblerousr
• Saturday: The World’s Team with Meg Murray and Paul Stewart

We also offer live shows every weekday afternoon on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel.

The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.

Subscribe here on Apple devices.

Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.