It's no secret that Dallas' rookie offensive tackle Drew Shelton is struggling in his first NFL offseason. But while it may limit his playing time in 2026, this fourth-round pick is still pretty safe to make the Cowboys' roster.
While draft status doesn't mean everything, Dallas' drafting history shows that it takes an awful lot for them to part ways this early with someone drafted as high as Shelton.
In fact, you'd have to go back a full 20 years to 2006 and wide receiver Skyler Green. He had the misfortune of being drafted the same offseason that Dallas found two UDFA gems in Miles Austin and Sam Hurd.
Green was waived at final cuts, converted to RB on the practice squad, and got called up for a few games later that year before being waived again. The Bengals claimed him that December, officially ending his Cowboys run before a full season.
Fourth-rounders (or higher) other than Cowboys' Drew Shelton have been given time to grow
There have been plenty of guys since Green who put this idea to the test. Some spent most or all of their rookie years as game-day inactives but still on the 53: WR Isaiah Stanback, QB Stephen McGee, G David Arkin, DE Charles Tapper, and CB Reggie Robinson among them.
Others got hurt and missed their rookie years, but likely would've made the roster without the injury.
Safety Matt Johnson, still a sore subject for those old enough to remember his 2012 offseason hype, suffered a career-ending injury that preseason. Brandon Williams, a 3-4 OLB candidate in 2009, came back the following year but was released that November.
Then you had the guys who played their rookie years but didn't develop enough, or just got carried off by a new wave of talent, to get a second season.
Wideout Ryan Switzer at least got traded away in his second offseason, which is more than corner B.W. Webb (2013) can say. Defensive end Viliami Fehoko was on and off the roster with injuries in 2023, then failed to make the team a year later.
All of this is to show that, even when they're not a Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard, Anthony Hitchens, or some other memorable fourth-round pick, these guys almost always get at least a year to develop.
There's little competition on the Cowboys for Drew Shelton's roster spot
If that wasn't enough to convince you that Shelton's safe run 2026, let's talk about the offensive tackle position.
It's ugly, easily the weakest spot on Dallas' entire roster. And while Shelton's early struggles are at least somewhat expected, Nate Thomas' poor summer and Ajani Cornelius getting switched to guard have taken a lot of heat off the rookie.
There's a reason Shelton lasted in the fourth round last April, and we're seeing it. Despite great size and athleticism, his play strength and technique were far from NFL ready. Shelton needing time to develop was a known factor when Dallas drafted him. So while he hasn't offered any pleasant surprises, where we're at right now seems closer to expectations.
If the Cowboys don't get an opportunity to stash Shelton on injured reserve this year, and there's still a week for that to materialize, keeping him in street clothes as a gameday inactive always felt like a real possibility. It's not like Marcellus Johnson or Shiyazh Pete have done anything on the field to threaten that plan.
If anyone's going to squeeze Shelton out now, it would be someone Dallas brings in from free agency or waivers to bolster the depth. But even then, would they cut Pete before Thomas?
This is Thomas' third season, and he was just a seventh-round pick in 2024. If they had to go outside to find someone to play swing, then how much value does Thomas really have anymore?
No, it's not impossible for Drew Shelton to be among the Cowboys' final cuts this weekend. But it would defy 20 years of evidence of how Dallas treats their drafted players, particularly as rookies. If it does happen, it's another sign that this front office is truly changing its ways.
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