The Dallas Cowboys received an outpouring of praise for rewarding players who earned their place on the 53-man roster and sending those who didn't packing.
They even claimed running back Emari Demercado on Monday to anchor their depth behind Javonte Williams, Malik Davis, and Hunter Luepke. More good stuff!
What nobody knew at the time was that releasing Joe Milton would be the corresponding move. It's the rare decision that sent shockwaves around the NFL. Regardless of who won the QB2 battle, Dallas was widely expected to carry three quarterbacks this year.
Nobody could have anticipated Milton being the odd man out on the 53-man roster. We'll know by Tuesday afternoon if he cleared waivers, but in the meantime, let's shine a light on some other Cowboys moves from the weekend that may have left you scratching your head.
Ranking the Cowboys' worst moves from roster cutdown weekend
1. Releasing QB Joe Milton
No matter how hard you try to see the Cowboys' perspective, it doesn't make sense.
Why not just waive Alijah Clark, the sixth safety on the depth chart, and call it a day? Nothing against Clark, but he's far less important to the team's future, and it's not exactly difficult to find down-roster safeties willing to give maximum effort on special teams.
This wouldn't be a conversation if Milton regressed this summer. But he evolved. He still has a lot of growing to do, but the signs are finally there that he could be a trusted backup and, potentially, a future starter in the league.
Nobody would have batted an eye had Dallas named him QB2 over Sam Howell. That's how well Milton played throughout training camp and in the preseason. It's not crazy to trust Howell more in a spot start, but it defies logic to risk losing Milton to waivers.
The Cowboys better hope that the 31 other teams are satisfied with their current QB rooms. If not, they've set the Milton experiment ablaze just as he was proving them right.
2. Cutting Julius Wood
Speaking of defying logic. Any time you can send arguably your best defender from the preseason packing, you obviously have to do it.
Dallas largely did a commendable job of keeping players who earned their roster spots and cutting those who didn't (see Camden Brown and Jaydon Blue). Wood, though, has to be feeling bitter after the Cowboys waived him for the second offseason in a row despite shining all summer again.
Just as the Titans did last year, the Dolphins claimed Wood off waivers. It's ridiculous that Dallas let this happen a second time. No, Wood wouldn't have had a prominent defensive role, but you can't tell us that Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark should've made the cut over him.
One of the most physical players on the roster, Wood is a maniac against the run. He made stops all over the field in the preseason and didn't give up a single catch in coverage.
Markquese Bell was the most penalized special-teams player in the NFL last season. Merit largely won out this weekend, but not in Wood's case. He deserved to make the roster.
Let's end on a positive note. Wood could end up a starting safety in a very suspect Dolphins secondary. We'll be rooting for him to make the Cowboys regret letting him go. Again!
3. Protecting rookie OT Drew Shelton
The Cowboys deserve credit for remaking their offensive tackle depth. They undoubtedly got better by trading for Broderick Jones and signing Wanya Morris to the practice squad.
However, those moves wouldn't have been necessary if Drew Shelton (and Nate Thomas) weren't unplayable. We've been adamant that Shelton shouldn't have made the 53-man roster, but Thomas was the clear odd man out after Dallas traded for Jones.
Answer this: What did Shelton do this summer to earn his keep? He was a turnstile in training camp, so it was no surprise that he struggled in the preseason. Struggled might be an understatement, as he finished with a 25.0 pass-blocking grade.
But because Shelton is a fourth-round rookie, he had a ticket to the 53 before camp even started. Yes, he needed molding coming out of Penn State, but he was among the worst players on Dallas' 90-man offseason roster. He had no business making the team over Julius Wood.
4. Cutting Reddy Steward
This would have ranked higher if Dallas hadn't signed Steward to the practice squad. That notwithstanding, it was still boneheaded to cut him in favor of Caelen Carson, who couldn't help but get penalized in the preseason and extend drives for opposing offenses.
According to Brian Schottenheimer, though, the Cowboys saw "advancement" from the third-year cornerback.
"We saw advancement," Schottenheimer said. "He found a mentor in Derrick Ansley. The talent's always been there. We believe he fits well with what we’re trying to do schematically; a player that we see a lot of promise in, needs to clean things up (penalties)."
If Dallas saw "advancement" in Carson, what did they see in Steward? The latter clearly had the better summer, and his versatility makes him a more natural fit for what Christian Parker wants to do defensively.
Steward can play inside and outside and even drop back to safety if needed. Carson, meanwhile, has played just 14 career snaps in the slot compared to 405 on the outside.
It says a lot when Cowboys fans and media alike are confused when a player gets cut. Releasing Steward suggested Dallas identified an upgrade from another team. Nope, they preferred the third-year pro who was penalized four times in the preseason while playing against backups.
The Cowboys are lucky they got Steward back on the practice squad. They might not be as fortunate with Joe Milton.
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