Any initial euphoria over the Dallas Cowboys adding Von Miller was dampened by the roster casualty that followed.
In the midst of failing to climb the wide receiver depth chart and following a brutal muffed punt in Saturday's preseason win in Seattle, Traeshon Holden was let go. It was hardly an illogical decision, but the timing felt ruthless after his high-profile blunder.
Granted, the muff isn't why Holden got cut, but it was a harsh reminder of just how delicate roster spots are in Week 2 of the preseason. Holden's release could be the beginning of a trend, so let's take a look at a few other Cowboys who could be shown the door.
4 Dallas Cowboys players who could be cut next after Traeshon Holden's release
Israel Abanikanda - RB
I mean, we said "ruthless," did we not?
To be clear, it would be shocking if Dallas moved on from Abanikanda before the second preseason game. He was the team's highest-graded runner with a 74.1 grade, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt and totaling 21 yards after contact.
The performance drew praise from Brian Schottenheimer, who complimented how hard Abanikanda ran. He's impressed as a runner in camp, but needs to prove he can pick up protection assignments more consistently to carve out a meaningful role behind Javonte Williams.
A lot of Cowboys fans would love to see Abanikanda make the 53, but if Davis has overtaken him on the depth chart and Dallas is determined to keep Blue or Mafah, Abanikanda becomes the clear odd man out.
DJ Rogers - TE
Rogers is one in a long list of undrafted free agents the Cowboys are excited about. However, the former TCU standout has some catching up to do after Saturday.
It's one thing that fellow UDFA Michael Trigg flashed as a pass-catcher, leading the team with four receptions and trailing only Camden Brown for the most receiving yards. Rogers fumbled his only catch of the game, and he's lucky it didn't result in a turnover.
Met by a Seahawks defensive back as he turned upfield, Rogers lost control of the football and watched it bounce out of harm's way out of bounds.
The Cowboys may like Rogers too much to cut him after one mistake, especially after losing Princeton Fant to a torn ACL. But if they want to send a message as they did with Holden, it's possible they part ways with the former Horned Frog.
You have to be able to protect the football.
Trikweze Bridges - CB
The Cowboys feel really good about their top four cornerbacks: DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant, Shavon Revel, and Caleb Downs. The depth behind them is a different story.
The hope was that Bridges or another player would run away with the CB4/5 role. That hasn't happened, making rumored free agent target Adoree' Jackson all the more attractive.
Dallas has a lot of bodies at cornerback, and with rookie fourth-round pick Devin Moore back practicing after an injury, they can afford to move on from Bridges. He allowed the Seahawks' only touchdown on Saturday after getting beat by Montorie Foster Jr.
To Bridges' credit, he responded later in the first half by breaking up a pass on third down. He needs a lot more moments like that if he's going to make the team. We'll know soon enough if he's given the requisite runway.
D.J. Withers - DT
We're not splitting the atom by saying that Withers isn't going to make the 53-man roster. The Cowboys have one of the best defensive tackle rooms in the sport, leaving little-to-no room for down-roster players to climb the depth chart.
Withers tied Jay Toia for the most snaps played of any DT against the Seahawks. That paints a pretty clear picture of where the former Kansas Jayhawk stands in the pecking order.
He finished with a 47.8 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus, which underlines his struggles to establish leverage at the point of attack. The postgame film study definitely was not kind to Withers, who was rooted out of his assignment on more than one occasion.
The Cowboys tend to try to keep their undrafted rookies on the practice squad if they can. That's Withers' only hope of sticking around in Dallas.
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