Projected front runners on offense to make the Cowboys 53-man roster

The three specialists were almost a lock to make the final roster. That was until the Cowboys made a couple of moves.  The Dallas Cowboys decided to not bring back longtime long snapper L.P Ladouceur and replaced him with former L.A. Rams Pro Bowler long snapper Jake McQuaide.

Last year, the team brought in Greg Zuerlein from those same Los Angeles Rams. After a shaky start, Legatron settled in nicely and looks to be an even more consistent kicker.

The only real battle here is going to come from the punters. Since the Rams have yet to make arguably the best punter in the league, Johhny Hekker, a cap casualty, the Cowboys will move forward with what they have.

The Dallas Cowboys had a nice find in Hunter Niswander but brought in veteran Bryan Anger for some competition. Anger signed with the Dallas Cowboys after the Houston Texans released him to save money. Anger was given a three-year $7.5 million deal by Houston but was released after a series of confusing front office moves.

Niswander had a better punting average but Anger is an experienced veteran who won’t make this easy. I would hate to lose Niswander but I think the veteran gets the nod over the free-agent find.

Niswander does have practice squad eligibility so it placing him on there could be used as a motivational tool to keep Anger consistent.

On a side note, the Rams brought in Corey Borojquez who in the previous season with the Buffalo Bills, led the league with an impressive 50.8 punting average to compete with Hekker. The door might be cracked enough for Hekker to jump to Dallas later this year.

Releasing Hekker now would give the cash strapped Rams around $3.75 million in cap space. Until that happens, I am going with the veteran on the roster although it is a coin flip at this point.

Specialists

• Jake McQuaide (LS)
• Greg Zuerlein (K)
• Byan Anger (P)

I understand that there might be a few head-scratchers on this final roster but the team has to take chances with potential rather than playing it safe with a few of these known fringe players. Year after year, the usual suspects are always headlining the news but you cannot hit big at the back of your roster if you continue to play it safe.

Injuries will certainly have a great say in who will be on the final 53 but I would not be surprised if the final roster is similar to this. These are my current frontrunners in what are my expectations on the final roster.