4 Dallas Cowboys who won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023

3. Takk McKinley, EDGE

There was a time when Takk McKinley would have been a welcome addition to the Cowboys roster. A former first-round pick in 2017, he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons who moved up to get in front of Dallas.

At the time, the Cowboys were in pursuit of a defensive end and wound up settling for Taco Charlton, and we all know how that worked out. McKinley was better than Charlton early but that didn’t last long.

He had 13 sacks in the first two seasons of his career but has just seven since then and has been with five teams since being waived in 2020. He’s only seen the field for two of those teams, playing sparingly in Cleveland in 2021 before spending four games with the Rams to start last season.

McKinley found his way back to Dan Quinn as he joined the Dallas practice squad to close out the year and was brought back for the 2023 campaign. However, any chance he had to make it into the rotation this season essentially went out the window when Dante Fowler, Jr. re-signed on a one-year deal.

With Fowler back, this is once again a strength for America’s Team with DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Chauncey Goltson, and Sam Williams joining Fowler. If that wasn’t enough, Micah Parsons also moves to the EDGE often, making it nearly impossible for McKinley to stick around.