The Dallas Cowboys turned a lot of heads with their initial 53-man roster reveal ahead of the 2026 NFL season. But what caused even more waves were the tweaks that the braintrust for America's team made in the following days as they ironed out the more subtle details of this team.
Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones are sure to continue meddling with the active roster, as just under two weeks still separate this team from kickoff against the New York Giants in Week 1. But the bones of the squad heading into opening weekend are certainly there.
An entire roster can be quite a bit to unpack, so let's break it down, position by position. Here are the biggest takeaways and some key observations for each unit in Dallas.
Takeaways from Dallas Cowboys' 53-man roster for 2026 NFL season
Quarterback (2)
Rostered:Â Dak Prescott, Sam Howell
Cut: Joe Milton III
Practice Squad: Pending
Dak Prescott is one of the NFL's most underrated signal-callers, and he should have this offense humming even more in Year 2 of the Schottenheimer experience. When it comes to the "Dakup" spot, however, things got very complicated.
It was a coin flip between Howell and Milton III for the QB2 role, or at least it seemed that way. But Dallas stunningly waived Milton III on Monday, and there is no guarantee that they'll get him back on the practice squad or that he'll even want to come back.
Howell is a fine backup, and he can keep the offense afloat. But Milton III grew so much this offseason, and Cowboys fans got excited seeing him grow into that upside. Schottenheimer said that a quarterback addition is coming to the practice squad, whether that be Milton III or someone else.
The anticipation is killing us!
Running Back (3)
Rostered:Â Javonte Williams, Malik Davis, Emari Demercado
Cut:Â Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Jashaun Corbin
Practice Squad: Izzy Abanikanda
Imagine telling Cowboys fans back in the spring that this would be the running back room. Williams as the top dog is still intriguing, but he'll need a lot more help than he got last year if Dallas wants to run the ball more often and control games, which they struggled with at times last year.
Davis ran his tail off this preseason and is seemingly inevitable; he'll be a nice and reliable piece for the offense. Demercado is an enticing addition who has familiarity with Klayton Adams, so he should pick things up rather quickly. Plus, in a lot of ways, he's the antithesis of what Blue was.
Speaking of Blue, he dug his own grave this preseason with poor play and by not quieting any off-the-field concerns. He's now on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad, where he'll fulfill his villain arc with Cowboys fans. Mafah wasn't healthy or effective enough to warrant a spot in the building.
Abanikanda impressed the staff enough and had the right attitude and approach to nab that practice squad spot. Good for him. Corbin, however, was always a camp body and was never really destined to stick around. Good luck to him.
Fullback (1)
Rostered:Â Hunter Luepke
Cut:Â N/A
Practice Squad: N/A
Luepke is a fun, underrated and probably underutilized part of this Dallas offense. He wasn't competing for a job this preseason, nor should he have been. He'll pave the way for Williams and Co., help protect Prescott and occasionally leak out for a pass to keep defenses honest.
Wide Receiver (6)
Rostered:Â CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, KaVonte Turpin, Camden Brown (R), Jonathan Mingo
Cut:Â Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Denzel Mims, Jaden Smith, Tyler Johnson
Practice Squad: Jordan Hudson (R), Anthony Smith (R)
Lamb and Pickens are the NFL's best pass-catching duo; the Cowboys just need to figure out exactly how to keep both around beyond this season. Flournoy didn't have much to prove this preseason, but reports from camp were that he played well. And Turpin is still otherworldly at times on special teams.
Camden Brown earned his way onto this roster perhaps more than anyone else in the locker room. He was a big play waiting to happen in the exhibition slate, and he can help this team out if given a chance. Brown just needs to improve on special teams to make all of the hype worthwhile.
Credit to Mingo for bringing it on offense and on special teams this preseason. He didn't back onto the roster by any means, as Mingo seized the opportunity in camp and the exhibition slate. Valdes-Scantling, Mims, Jaden Smith and Johnson did not, however. It's not a shame any of them are gone.
Hudson really flashed in the final game of the preseason, and he's thankfully sticking around on the practice squad, not returning to college. Anthony Smith is a toolsy rookie draft pick that the Cowboys clearly feel like has another level in him. Perhaps we'll see that sometime this year or next summer.
Tight End (3)
Rostered:Â Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Luke Schoonmaker
Cut:Â DJ Rogers (R), Zack Kuntz
Practice Squad: Michael Trigg (R), Mitch Van Vooren
Ferguson is still top dog in this room, and nobody really challenged Spann-Ford or Schoonmaker for spots on the active roster at the end of the day. Rogers didn't make the most of his chances and got injured, and Kuntz looked a bit lost after his late arrival in Dallas.
Trigg is an exciting piece to keep around on the practice squad in a lot of ways, even if he fell short of some fans' expectations that he'd be TE2 by the regular season. Van Vooren made the most of his lone preseason game and apparently did enough that the Cowboys want a more extended look.
Offensive Tackle (4)
Rostered:Â Tyler Guyton, Terence Steele, Broderick Jones, Drew Shelton (R)
Cut:Â Sebastian Gutierrez, Shiyazh Pete (R)
Traded: Nate Thomas
Practice Squad: Marcellus Johnson, Wanya Morris
Guyton is the only sure thing in this room, as Steele and Jones are now competing for the starting right tackle spot. It's Steele's job to lose, but the Cowboys gave up a good bit for Jones, so they're not just going to stash him on the bench.
Speaking of stashing on the bench, Shelton just isn't an NFL-ready player right now. He struggled immensely this preseason and should have been the odd man out of this room. But his being a fourth-round pick was the reason that Dallas shipped off Nate Thomas across the state to Houston.
Johnson had enough good moments this preseason to warrant a practice squad spot, and the veteran Morris is the ultimate wild card in what is allegedly a real battle at right tackle. Pete is a great story but ultimately came up short, and Gutierrez didn't do enough to stick around.
Interior Offensive Line (5)
Rostered:Â Cooper Beebe, Tyler Smith, Tyler Booker, T.J. Bass, Ajani Cornelius
Cut:Â Trevor Keegan (Claimed by MIN), Chris Glaser, DJ Wingfield (R)
Practice Squad: Nick Leverett
Not much to say about the starting trio and T.J. Bass that hasn't been said. This is as formidable a group as they come in the NFL. Cornelius sneaking onto the roster was a bit unexpected, but a kick inside to guard did him wonders. Still, I wonder if he makes it to Week 1, let alone being active.
Losing Keegan on waivers to the Vikings was pretty disappointing, as he's a versatile piece who put a lot of good stuff on film this preseason. The same cannot necessarily be said for Glaser or Wingfield, who didn't get to stick around. At least Leverett found his way back after surprisingly missing the cut.
Defensive Tackle (5)
Rostered:Â Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Jonathan Bullard, Otito Ogbonnia, LT Overton (R)
Cut:Â Jay Toia, DJ Withers (R)
Practice Squad: Tommy Dunn (R), Dayo Odeleye, Elijah Garcia
Williams and Clark are an elite duo on the interior. Ogbonnia is also a nice piece at nose, and Bullard should have a role when he returns from injury fully. Overton did a good job transitioning inside during his first offseason, and he looks ready to take on a minor rotational role, especially if Bullard is out.
Parting ways with Toia and Withers isn't too upsetting for the Cowboys, but keeping Dunn around was major, as he showed pass-rush chops and run-stopping ability this preseason. Garcia had a great preseason for the Carolina Panthers, so sneaking him onto the practice squad is tremendous.
Odeleye has an IPP exemption, so keeping him in the building was a no-brainer.
Defensive End/OLB (6)
Rostered: Rashan Gary, Von Miller, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence (R), James Houston, Tyrus Wheat
Cut: Sam Williams
IR: Marist Liufau
Practice Squad: Isaiah Land
What a fun room this should be. Gary and Ezeuriuaku should eat up the bulk of the snaps, but Miller still has gas left in the tank, and he'll be paramount in the development of Lawrence, too, who made some splash plays this preseason for Dallas.
Houston, like Malik Davis, is just somewhat inevitable. Schottenheimer clearly likes him and wants a deep pass-rush rotation, so he earned a spot on this defense. Wheat was a surprise inclusion, but not for lack of ability. Sam Williams had guaranteed money, so Wheat's fate seemed sealed.
But the Cowboys did the courageous thing and let Williams walk, keeping Wheat, a slightly younger player with a bit more upside at this point. Williams has now landed with the Cleveland Browns, so some of his guaranteed money should be offset.
Liufau is a good special-teamer and may have challenged Wheat for the final spot as well, but a broken forearm will keep him on the shelf for quite some time to begin the season. Land had his moments in the preseason, so it's a good thing that he's staying on the practice squad.
Linebacker (4)
Rostered:Â DeMarvion Overshown, Dee Winters, Jaishawn Barham (R), Shemar James
Cut:Â Langston Patterson (R)
Practice Squad: Justin Barron, Curtis Robinson
Keeping just four linebackers in this room is a bit risky, but I like going thin here with all the other talent Dallas has. Overshown should thrive in a WILL role while Winters and Barham duke it out for the MIKE distinction. Barham's injury put him up against it, but he could overtake Winters at some point.
Barron couldn't keep up his training camp momentum and three-INT days during the preseason, but he's a great practice squad player, as is Robinson. James sort of backed his way onto this roster, but he should help out on special teams, and he played a lot last year, so he can help in a bind.
Patterson was a fun downhill linebacker but didn't have much of a shot behind this crew of players.
Cornerback (5)
Rostered:Â Daron Bland, Cobie Durant, Shavon Revel Jr., Caelan Carson, Ameer Speed
Cut:Â Trikweze Bridges, Josh Butler
IR: Devin Moore (R)
Practice Squad: N/A
Bland and Durant will get the starting nods on the boundary, but Revel Jr. should be a factor in the rotation, as he seemingly got better every time he hit the field. Carson also took his lumps this preseason, but the Cowboys' staff seems to trust him at this point.
Speed making the team was a bit peculiar, but he'll likely be collateral damage when Dallas adds someone else at cornerback. They were reportedly in the market for a corner on the waiver wire before the Las Vegas Raiders stepped in.
It's been tough to evaluate Moore with all of the injuries, but he struggled when he was out there. The most important thing for him is getting healthy so that he can stay on his development track. Bridges and Butler's time with the team was always going to be done when the clock hit zero last Friday.
Safety/Nickel (6)
Rostered:Â Caleb Downs (R), Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke, Alijah Clark, Markquese Bell
Cut: Julius Wood (Claimed by MIA), Zion Childress
Practice Squad: Reddy Steward, Derion Kendrick
How quickly Downs adjusts to the level of regular season NFL play will determine the ceiling for this group. He looked elite this preseason and in camp, let's just hope it translates. Thompson and Hooker are a great duo on the back end with complementary skill sets, and Locke is a great rotational piece.
Clark making the roster isn't necessarily a bad thing, but a good portion of this fanbase probably wanted Wood instead. Unfortunately, Wood got claimed by the Dolphins and won't be returning to Dallas. Nor will Childress, who was cut without much fanfare.
Bell is going to be a special teams ace for this Cowboys defense, as he attempts to fill the C.J. Goodwin-sized hole in Dallas. Getting both Steward and Kendrick back on the practice squad was huge. These are two versatile and experienced players to have in the back pocket.
Specialists (3)
Rostered:Â K Brandon Aubrey, P Bryan Anger, LS Trent Sieg
Cut:Â N/A
Practice Squad: N/A
Death, taxes, and this trio holding it down for America's Team.
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