3 Dallas Cowboys cuts who earned a spot on 53-man roster

It’s never easy to see players who put their all into Dallas Cowboys OTAs, training camp, and preseason get cut. To go from 90 to 53 players is tough. Some of the cuts made to get to the first edition of the 53-man roster made a ton of sense. Others were a bit more disappointing.

But, at the end of the day, the NFL is a business.

It was quite an accomplishment that four undrafted free agents ended up making the Cowboys’ 53-man roster. Ssafety Markquese Bell, WR KaVontae Turpin, WR Dennis Houston, and TE Peyton Hendershot all beat out veterans or other rookies to get their spots.

For others, it was the end of the road. In this article, we will look at three players who showed incredible performances during practices and preseason but just couldn’t ink a spot on the team.

**We tried to keep this to players who weren’t strategically cut and expected back (Will Grier, Brett Maher, etc)**

3 Dallas Cowboys cuts who earned a spot on the 53-man roster

3. Malik Davis, RB

Due to the fact that there were already two locks at the running back position in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, there was really only one spot left on the roster. Even though there were times when  Cowboys beat reporters were wanting to see the team carry four RBs, it just wasn’t going to be a possibility.

That just shows how great the competition was between Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, and Aaron Shampklin.

At the start of camp, the position was Dowdle’s to lose. Dowdle was with the Cowboys last year but spent the entire season on the IR after fracturing his hip. The RB had a strong camp but was given a run for his money by Davis.

If Davis didn’t have such a strong preseason and joint practice showing, considering taking four running backs into 2022 wouldn’t even be a conversation. But it was.

An undrafted free agent, the RB was impressive in practice, joint practices, and games. In preseason Week 1, Davis had fewer carries but eight more rushing yards than Dowdle. Davis also had three more receptions and 16 more receiving yards.

The Florida product didn’t slow down in the second or third game either. Davis got his first touchdown and a total of 37 yards against the Chargers. In the final game, he rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries.

Dowdle ultimately ended up with the RB3 spot, but Davis certainly didn’t make the choice easy.