Predicting the Cowboys’ 53-man roster going into training camp
The theme of the 2024 season for the Dallas Cowboys is looking like it might be "do more with less". The Cowboys aren't exactly gutted of all their talent, but the boat is taking on a lot of water after all the holes that were left behind by departed free agents.
It's not a rebuilding year in Dallas, but the stars are going to be asked to carry this team even more than they already have. With a new defensive coordinator (Mike Zimmer) coming in and a ton of pressure on Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott, what is this Cowboys roster going to look like in 2024?
Let's make our pre-training camp roster predictions for a Cowboys team that is going to look a lot different this year than it has over the last three or four.
Predicting the Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster in 2024
Quarterback: 2 (2/53)
- Dak Prescott
- Trey Lance
The biggest difference here is that Cooper Rush is no longer in the equation. The offseason updates have been pretty positive regarding Trey Lance, and unfortunately for Rush, I think we've probably seen the best of what he can bring to the table. He's been a solid backup for the Cowboys, but it's time for this team to add to the practice workload of Trey Lance and keep moving his overall progression forward.
Specialists: 3 (5/53)
- Brandon Aubrey, kicker
- Bryan Anger, punter
- Trent Sieg, long snapper
There won't be any surprises here for the Cowboys as the specialist group doesn't currently have any competition. The Cowboys are set here and don't have to worry about any of these guys. The specialist positions are on auto-pilot.
Running Backs: 4 (9/53)
- Ezekiel Elliott
- Rico Dowdle
- Hunter Luepke
- Deuce Vaughn
The biggest update to the running back position this offseason has been the return of Ezekiel Elliott, the former first-round pick that the Cowboys probably never really wanted to move on from in the first place. With Tony Pollard off to the Titans in free agency, how are the Cowboys going to supplement depth at the running back position?
This position group wasn't exactly a strength of this team last year, and while Elliott is still capable, he's not the same guy from four or five years ago.