Dallas Cowboys: 53-man roster prediction following OTAs

With OTAs wrapping up, the Dallas Cowboys are one step closer to the 2023 season. As they look to try and finally get past the second round of the playoffs, they've made several moves to bolster their roster.

Here, we do our best to sift through the competition and predict who makes the 53-man roster for Week 1 of the 2023 season.

Quarterback (2):

Dak Prescott
Cooper Rush

Last year, the Cowboys surprised everyone when they kept just one quarterback on their initial 53-man roster. Of course, it was all a formality as they needed to make a few moves and had an agreement with Cooper Rush. The veteran quarterback was vested and therefore wouldn't hit the waiver wire, so Dallas just re-signed him when they needed to.

Something similar could happen this year if they need to send players to the IR but by the time the season begins, there should be two on the depth chart — Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush.

Prescott is the leader of the franchise and Rush has become one of the more trusted backups in the league. When Prescott was out for five games, Rush led them to a 4-1 record and is now 5-1 overall as a starter. His numbers weren't eye-popping but he made very few mistakes and kept the offense moving in the right direction.

As good as Rush was, this team goes as Dak goes. The former fourth-round pick is heading into his eighth season in the NFL and will turn 30 this year. He's had a great career but is no longer a young and rising star, meaning if this team is going to get over the hump, it will be up to Prescott to make that happen.

While Dallas goes with two quarterbacks in this prediction, they would surely like to keep Will Grier on the practice squad as they did in 2022 and that could be the case as well.

Running Back (4):

Tony Pollard
Deuce Vaughn
Malik Davis
Hunter Luepke

This is the position that will look the most different in 2023 for Dallas. Yes, they made additions to other spots but it's the absence of a former superstar that stands out here.

For the first time since 2016, Ezekiel Elliott isn't the No. 1 running back in Big D as Tony Pollard is set to take over. Pollard is playing on the franchise tag and coming off his best campaign. While still splitting time with Zeke, he had 1,378 yards from scrimmage with 12 total touchdowns.

Malik Davis is the only returning member of the team from 2022 as the undrafted free agent out of Florida showed enough during his rookie campaign to stick around this year.

He's joined by Deuce Vaughn, a rookie from Kansas State. Vaughn is undersized at 5-foot-5 and 179 pounds but he's lightning in a bottle and can be a dynamic change of pace back.

Last is Hunter Luepke an undrafted free agent from North Dakota State. Luepke isn't a typical fullback at 6-foot-1 and 236 pounds and he was someone Dallas was stoked to add after the draft. He's a capable receiver out of the backfield but will really make his mark as a short-yardage guy early in his career.

They do wind up releasing Ronald Jones in this scenario, which is a testament to their faith in Davis as the primary bell cow if Pollard suffers an injury. That belief is why they have two backs who are typically specialists.

Wide Receiver (6):

CeeDee Lamb
Brandin Cooks
Michael Gallup
Jalen Tolbert
Jalen Brooks
KaVontae Turpin

There are six wide receivers on this depth chart but that's partly due to KaVontae Turpin making it for his special teams skill. Turpin was electric as a return man in the preseason and while he never scored a touchdown in the regular season, he was still a Pro Bowl selection.

As for the primary wideouts, CeeDee Lamb is joined by Brandin Cooks — who was a huge addition this offseason. Michael Gallup comes in as the No. 3 and has looked much healthier during OTAs. Fourth is Jalen Tolbert who wasn't good at all as a rookie but was a third-round pick so they won't give up on him just yet.

Fifth is Jalen Brooks, a seventh-round pick from South Carolina. He edges out Simi Fehoko and that has to do more with Fehoko not doing enough with his first two seasons in the league to separate himself.

Tight End(3):

Luke Schoonmaker
Jake Ferguson
Peyton Hendershot

With Dalton Schultz out, Jake Ferguson is going to have to step up his game. He was taken in the fourth round out of Wisconsin a year ago with the expectation that he might have to replace Schultz. He did well with his opportunities in 2022 and should be the favorite to start early in the year.

Eventually, Luke Schoonmaker should replace him as the starter — although both will have a role regardless of who starts. A second-round pick from Michigan, he's on the older side for a rookie but checks off all the boxes for an NFL tight end.

Third is Peyton Hendershot who had a very promising rookie campaign. A former undrafted free agent, Hendershot is a receiving threat at the position and can be a matchup nightmare for defenses.

Offensive Line (9):

Tyron Smith
Tyler Smith
Tyler Biadasz
Zack Martin
Terence Steele
Chuma Edoga
Asim Richards
Matt Farinok
Matt Waletzko

If there's any real criticism for Dallas this offseason, it has to be their continued inattention to the offensive line. That might feel weird to say given the presence of three players who were added in the first round. While it's true that Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Tyler Smith are all very talented, the real issue has been depth.

Tyron Smith has been injury prone for roughly eight years and the Cowboys suddenly stopped worrying about reserve tackles last year. That burnt them and then they went too far the other way with this insane plan to bench Terence Steele who has been better than both Smiths as of late.

Dallas might not be able to pull off this flawed plan though due to their depth. Without a legit replacement for Connor McGovern, Tyler Smith will likely have to play guard (until Tryon Smith goes down again).

From there, the question becomes what they do to replace him. Tyler Smith could go to left tackle, and he would be better than Chuma Edoga. The only other options are rookie Asim Richards who was a late-round pick and is moving from tackle to guard. There's also Matt Farinok who will be the primary reserve guard and center.

Matt Waletzko makes the roster as well, beating out Josh Ball. That could change if Ball plays well at guard, as he's possibly moving from the outside since there's some over-crowding there to counterbalance the under-crowding at guard.

Defensive Line (10):

DeMarcus Lawrence
Osa Odighizuwa
Mazi Smith
Dante Fowler
Dorance Armstrong
Sam Williams
Neville Gallimore
Viliami Fehoko
Chauncey Golston
Johnathan Hankins

The Cowboys go 10 deep on the defensive line in this prediction as Dan Quinn loves to come after opposing teams in waves. They were able to bring back Dante Fowler, Jr. who was very good in 2022. In 17 games he had 27 tackles and six sacks in a reserve role. He will still likely come in behind Dorance Armstrong who quietly had 8.5 sacks last season and DeMarcus Lawrence who remains the leader on the defensive line.

Sam Williams, who had 22 tackles and four sacks as a rookie will also be heavy in the EDGE rotation and rookie Viliami Fehoko rounds things out.

At defensive tackle, they bring in Mazi Smith who was a first-round selection out of Michigan. He's going to have to beat out Johnathan Hankins for the 1-tech position, which should happen.

As for the rest of the defensive tackles, Osa Odighizuwa is the starting 3-tech with Chauncey Golston likely spending more time at that spot than on the edge. Neville Gallimore will be in the mix as well and is capable of playing either spot.

Quinton Bohanna ends up being the biggest cut as they might not have room for a third nose tackle. His only path to the roster will be to beat out Hankins which he likely won't be able to do.

Linebacker (6):

Micah Parsons
Leighton Vander Esch
Damone Clark
DeMarvion Overshown
Jabril Cox
Isaiah Land

Micah Parsons has quickly become a vocal leader for the Cowboys and continues to be an even stronger presence on the field. He's still listed as a linebacker but makes him impact getting after the quarterback.

He's joined again by Leighton Vander Esch, who nearly left in free agency. Damone Clark is the third starter and has a high ceiling. Rookie DeMarvion Overshown will fight with Jabril Cox for playing time. The corps is rounded out by undrafted free agent Isaiah Land who beats out Devin Harper.

Land gets the edge since he can get after the quarterback — and he has a huge fan in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. According to Patrik Walker of the Cowboys official website, Quinn has watched Land for a while and is excited to see him develop.

"He's somebody that I'm excited to see, and there is no timeline on that. Development takes time. You're not going to get there in one or two days. We're going to be in this for the long haul and see what they can do. And not every person that you train at two spots works out that way."

Quinn, via Patrik Walker

Dallas has a lot of youth at linebacker and it's paid off in recent years. And now, this looks like one of the deepest and most talented groups they've fielded in a while.

Cornerback (5):

Trevon Diggs
Stephon Gilmore
DaRon Bland
Jourdan Lewis
Kelvin Joseph

Adding Stephon Gilmore was a huge win for Dallas this offseason. He comes in as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and will line up across from Trevon Diggs who can say the same. DaRon Bland should remain as the slot cornerback after picking off five passes last season.

Of course, he will still have to compete with Jourdan Lewis, who is no slouch either.

They round things out with Kelvin Joseph, who beats out Nahshon Wright. It's hard to say Joseph has been better thus far but he's been decent in OTAs and was a higher draft pick. He's also worked some at safety and in the end, that's enough for him to make the cut.

Safety (5):

Jayron Kearse
Donovan Wilson
Malik Hooker
Israel Mukuamu
Markquese Bell

At safety, the Cowboys are able to return all five players from a season ago — which didn't feel likely. Donovan Wilson appeared to play his way out of town but still agreed to a three-year deal to stick around. That was a huge win for Dallas as they stay very deep at the position.

Even behind Wilson, Jayron Kearse, and Wilson they have two capable players in Israel Mukuamau and Markuese Bell. Mukuamu even stepped up and played in the slot last year as he helped them navigate injuries at cornerback.

Specialists (3):

A kicker to be named later
Bryan Anger
Trent Sieg

The Cowboys have Tristan Vizcaino as their only kicker but he's not likely to make the final roster. So far in his young career, Vizcaino is 11-of-12 on field goals (for four different teams including the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots in 2022) but just 15-of-20 on extra points. His longest tenure thus far was with the Chargers in 2021 and he was 6-of-7 on field goals and 10-of-15 on extra points.

This is going to be a huge opportunity for him but Dallas is expected to eventually sign a veteran. One name to watch is Mason Crosby, who has experience with Mike McCarthy during their time with the Green Bay Packers.

While that's a storyline to watch, the punter situation will be boring. Bryan Anger has been fantastic and will make the team. The only time we'll see someone else punt (barring an injury) is during the preseason as they'll probably make sure someone else comes in as a camp leg.

At long snapper, they'll use Trent Sieg who spent the past five seasons playing for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. This might be the most thankless job in the world but Sieg has always done well — and as long as he doesn't make any mistakes, there's no reason to think he will lose his spot.

KaVontae Turpin could also be a potential specialist as a return man but was already mentioned with the wideouts.

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