Cowboys 53-man roster projection after preseason: Dallas cuts fan favorite RB

After two months of training camp and three weeks of preseason, it all comes down to this. The Dallas Cowboys are now working on a deadline to trim their roster to 53 players. Per league rules, rosters must be submitted by Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT.

Most of the Cowboys' 53-man roster has been set in stone. Mike McCarthy rested his starters in preseason, but several depth players who expect to make the team and play a big role in the regular season saw action over the last three weeks.

The Cowboys' roster is in a great spot before the Sept. 8 opener in Cleveland, but they will surely scour the cuts market for potential upgrades. In the meantime, though, let's take a stab at projecting the 53 players who will make Dallas' initial final roster.

Cowboys 53-man roster projection after preseason:

Quarterback (3): Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Trey Lance

The preseason finale ended any conversation whether Trey Lance could surpass Cooper Rush for the backup job. While Lance had some fun moments, he ended the day with five interceptions. Five. His potential is apparent, but his inconsistencies and mistakes are too frequent to justify him passing Rush.

A five-interception performance normally would result in that player being cut, but it doesn't make sense financially for the Cowboys to waive Lance. On top of that, Jerry Jones confirmed Lance's spot on the 53-man roster before Saturday and doubled down after the game. He'll be the team's emergency third-string QB and nothing more.

Running back (4): Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke

Sorry, Cowboys fans, but Royce Freeman did not make the cut. Freeman has done everything possible to make the roster and played well again on Saturday, but his game is too similar to Elliott and Dowdle to snub Vaughn, who brings a different dynamic.

The tricky thing is that Freeman probably deserves a roster spot more than Elliott. However, the Cowboys confirmed Elliott's roster spot by not playing him at all in preseason. Vaughn deserves his own package as a gadget player, while Luepke will be a core special teamer and blocking specialist on offense.

Wide Receiver (6): CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy

There's a debate to be had whether the Cowboys should keep five or six receivers. However, Flournoy's performance on Saturday should have clinched him a spot. He was the only Dallas receiver to catch a touchdown in preseason and he caught two of them.

Fans shouldn't expect Flournoy to be active on game day. He is raw and made some mistakes in preseason, but the Cowboys would be foolish to risk losing him to waivers.

Tight End (3): Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, John Stephens Jr.

The TE room is as deep as its been in recent memory. Luke Schoonmaker enters a pivotal second season and needs to stay healthy. Stephens Jr. had a bad fumble on Saturday, but he showed enough in preseason and camp to make the cut. He's a big target for Dak Prescott and could emerge as a red zone weapon.

Princeton Fant had a strong case, but he had a poor outing against the Chargers, while undrafted free agent Brevyn Spann-Ford needs a year on the practice squad before he's ready for regular-season action.

Offensive line (9): Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Zack Martin, Terence Steele, Asim Richards, Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, Josh Ball

The first eight spots are locks. Richards, Hoffman and Bass give the Cowboys quality depth options along the interior, while Chuma Edoga will be the top backup tackle once he returns from his foot injury.

Ultimately, the final spot came down to Ball and Matt Waletzko. After being written off by Cowboys fans, Ball was Dallas' highest-graded offensive player (86.6) in preseason entering Saturday's tilt against the Chargers, per PFF. Waletzko would give the group an extra tackle, but Ball deserves to make the team on merit.

Defensive line (9): Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Marshawn Kneeland, Chauncey Golston, Carl Lawson, Jordan Phillips, Linval Joseph

This group looks so much better after the additions of Lawson, Phillips and Joseph. Lawson will provide a needed pass-rushing boost after Sam Williams' ACL tear, while Phillips (three-tech) and Joseph (nose tackle) give Dallas big bodies in the trenches to complement Odighizuwa and Smith.

In this exercise, the Cowboys cut rookie Nathan Thomas, who could use a year of development on the practice squad, as well free-agent pickup Al-Quadin Muhammad. We'd expect the front office to be aggressive re-signing Muhammad to the practice squad.

Linebacker (5): Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, Buddy Johnson

DaRon Bland's unfortunate foot injury allows the Cowboys to keep an extra linebacker, but the position is incredibly deep this year.

Johnson has been a late riser in training camp and may have cemented his roster spot after a dazzling preseason finale. He should have the edge over Harvey if Dallas' opts to roll with five linebackers. Nick Vigil is also in consideration given his familiarity with Mike Zimmer and ability to contribute on special teams. Don't be shocked if Johnson and Harvey find their way onto the 53.

Cornerbacks (5): Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Caelen Carson, Israel Mukuamu, Andrew Booth

Bland's injury may have saved Booth's bacon. Acquired from the Vikings in a trade that sent former third-round pick Nahshon Wright to Minnesota, Booth had a rough outing on Saturday. He gave up a long touchdown to former Cowboy Simi Fehoko and made a poor tackling attempt on the play to add insult to injury.

Having said that, Booth had a promising debut in Week 2. His experience (23 games) and status as a former blue-chip prospect give him an upper hand over Eric Scott Jr., who had an up and down camp and preseason.

Safeties (5): Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, Markquese Bell, Juanyeh Thomas, Julius Wood

The Cowboys may choose to keep six linebackers instead of five safeties. In that event, Wood becomes the odd man out.

However, the undrafted free agent out of East Carolina hasn't put a foot wrong in preseason and he even shined in camp to bolster his case. Wood is a thumper in the run game and seems to always find himself in the right place at the right time in coverage. Something tells us Mike Zimmer would hate to lose a talent like Wood to waivers.

Special teams (4): Brandon Aubrey, Bryan Anger, Trent Sieg, C.J. Goodwin

No need for an in-depth explanation here. Don't be shocked if Dallas throws a curveball by cutting Goodwin for roster flexibility with the intent of re-signing him before the season opener. A longtime special teams captain, Goodwin will find his way on the 53.

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