It is officially the season for taking stock of what we're thankful for. Injuries and trades have forced the Dallas Cowboys to tinker with their roster all season long, but there are undoubtedly some players who should be grateful that they still have a spot on the roster.
The NFL is unforgivable in that respect. There isn't a worse part of the league's year-round calendar than roster cuts. Hundreds of players lose their jobs after months of hard work, and several of those players didn't do anything on the practice field to warrant being released or waived.
It gets harder to move on from players during the regular season, however. And despite the constant shuffling, multiple members of the 2025 Cowboys have managed to stick around a lot longer than their play has deserved.
4 Cowboys who should be thankful they're still on the team
Jack Sanborn
All signs from training camp suggested that Sanborn was going to be a three-down linebacker for Matt Eberflus, who coached Sanborn on the Bears. Well, Sanborn hasn't played since the Cowboys' win over the Commanders on Oct. 19. A groin injury has shelved him for well over a month, and there's been little to no word about his progress.
Even before the injury, Sanborn didn't really bring any consistency to the linebacker room. Signed to stabilize the Cowboys' run defense, Sanborn's 54.7 run-defense grade ranks 68th out of 83 linebackers, per Pro Football Focus.
Sanborn is only making $1.5 million this year, so Dallas could cut him without breaking a sweat. If the team had more consistency at the position, the front office would likely just cut its losses. The Cowboys instead waived Damone Clark. Sanborn is lucky it wasn't him, as he's contributed next to nothing this season.
Trikweze Bridges
It says a lot that the Cowboys decided to waive Kaiir Elam over Bridges. They clearly thought they could resurrect Elam's career, as they sent a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for Elam and a 2025 sixth-round pick.
Bridges, meanwhile, was awarded to the Cowboys off waivers after they announced their initial 53-man roster. Elam had been with the team since OTAs, while Bridges joined right before the start of the season. The former was that bad that he deserved to be cut, but Bridges hasn't exactly covered himself in glory.
A seventh-round pick by the Chargers this year, Bridges has allowed a 105.5 passer rating when targeted and 15.5 yards per reception, per PFF, equating to a 37.7 coverage grade. He would not be rostered on most teams, but that is a summation of the state of the Dallas secondary.
Jay Toia
If the Cowboys didn't send Mazi Smith to the New York Jets in their blockbuster trade for Quinnen Williams, Toia might not be on the team.
While it's rare that Dallas gives up on rookie draft picks, Toia's been a healthy scratch the last two games, including on Thursday against the Chiefs, and he's only appeared in five games. The seventh-round pick out of UCLA owns a lowly 29.6 run-defense grade, which would be last among interior defenders if he played enough snaps.
It certainly isn't shocking that a Day 3 rookie has struggled to leave his mark, but the Cowboys now boast arguably the best DT rotation in the league. With Perrion Winfrey now healthy, Smith going to New York is really the only thing keeping Toia on the roster.
Kenneth Murray
Murray has become the whipping boy for Cowboys fans, and most of that is deserved. It's not realistic that Dallas would cut him, given that he is making $5.9 million this season. For whatever reason, though, Matt Eberflus and Brian Schottenheimer defend him at every turn.
According to Pro Football Focus, 70 linebackers have played at least 300 snaps this year. Murray's 28.8 run-defense grade ranks dead last. He is fifth-worst at the position with a 42.3 defensive grade. While PFF's grades aren't foolproof, they are accurate in Murray's case. He is also 43rd with 20 defensive stops and 57th with a 98.3 passer rating allowed.
What exactly does he do well? If the Cowboys' LB room had the requisite depth, he'd have a strong case to get cut. Unfortunately, Murray has continued to see significant snaps despite the return of DeMarvion Overshown and the trade for Logan Wilson. That first-round pedigree has bought Murray far too much leeway than he deserves.