5 Cowboys players who could be cut before training camp

1. Jourdan Lewis, CB

Jourdan Lewis was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, one round after Chidobe Awuzie. Since being selected, he's done nothing but make plays — and keeps finding his way on the field despite working for defensive coordinators that prefer taller cornerbacks.

Even with that being the case, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Lewis enters 2023 with 263 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 31 pass defenses, eight picks, six fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown.

Lewis has also carved out a role as the slot corner, which is where he's been at his best. In 2019, for example, he recorded four sacks and two interceptions. He then had his best campaign in 2021 when he recorded 61 tackles and three interceptions — both of which were career highs.

He was unable to truly try and repeat that success due to an injury that forced him to the sideline after just six games. And while he was out, the Cowboys found a diamond in the rough with DaRon Bland.

The rookie fifth-round pick finished with 54 tackles, seven pass defenses, and five picks. He now enters 2023 with all the confidence in the world. Should he be able to beat out Lewis, that would mean Lewis would be fourth on the depth chart.

While it's true Lewis is better than Kelvin Joseph or Nahshon Wright, the front office might decide to allow them to be CB4 and CB5 due to Lewis' cap hit of $5.8 million. Should they elect to go with youth, they could save $4.7 million of that salary.

It wouldn't be a popular move but it's the type of business decisions teams constantly make.

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