3 dark horse candidates to make the Cowboys' 53-man roster

3. TE John Stephens Jr.

While Stephens is heading into his second year of training camp with the Cowboys, it will be the first time he has played in almost a year. He was one of the team's undrafted free agents last season and appeared to be a diamond in the ruff. The former Louisiana tight end started to make some noise in camp last year, but his season was halted before it even began.

He caught a touchdown pass in the team's first preseason game against Jacksonville and immediately started making many think he might be the next Peyton Hendershot. Unfortunately in the next game against Seattle he tore his ACL and was lost for the season. Dallas placed him on injured reserve and he was able to remain a part of the team without being cut. The good news is his rehab seems to be going well according to reports during the team's OTAs.

The road is tough for Stephens. Not only is he coming off a major injury after only his rookie season, but he is still dealing with being an undrafted free agent. He still has a lot to prove in an already stacked tight end room. With Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker and Hendershot at the top of the depth chart, Stephens' goal of achieving a roster spot looks bleak.

There are only so many spots on an NFL roster and that number is 53. Over 90 men will report to camp next week including Stephens. While all indications are he will be ready for training camp, he has to earn the coaches' trust back all over again. If he can replicate his performance at all in the first preseason game like he did last year and continue to build off of that, McCarthy and his staff will have to look at him as a possible back up tight end. A guy who is a matchup problem for defenses with that kind of raw talent does not come into camp every year.

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