The Dallas Cowboys open the 2024 NFL regular season at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Could a quarterback-needy team reach out to the Cowboys for Dak Prescott backups Cooper Rush or Trey Lance? Would Dallas even listen? The Cowboys like their offensive line depth, but it's untested. The defensive line depth is a real concern.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Cowboys:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Dak Prescott, Trey Lance, Cooper Rush
Rush likely heads into the regular season as the top backup to Prescott, but Lance improved during the preseason. Prescott is in the final year of his contract; will this be his last run with the Cowboys?
RUNNING BACKS (4): Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn.
Veteran Royce Freeman gets caught in a numbers game here. He is similar in style to Elliott, so the replication of skills isn't needed as much. Davis has had an excellent summer and can be a core special-teamer. It's on the coaches to come up with a package for Vaughn to make his roster spot worth it.
FULLBACK (1): Hunter Luepke
Coach Mike McCarthy loves him. He can line up at fullback. He can carry the ball in a one-back scheme. He can line up at tight end. Plus, he's a core special-teamer.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy
Flournoy might not be active on game day, but he has flashed enough skill that if he gets exposed to waivers, he could get claimed. He is raw, but he has a suddenness to his game. Without Lamb in camp, Tolbert has taken advantage of the snaps and could produce more than Michael Gallup did in the No. 3 role last season.
TIGHT ENDS (3): Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, John Stephens Jr.
Princeton Fant was a difficult omission, but the numbers are hard to work. Brevyn Spann-Ford did not force his way onto the roster, but he could be elevated to the game-day roster should he make it through to the practice squad. Ferguson, by the way, looks like he could expand on last season's stats (71 catches, 761 yards, 5 TDs).
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9): Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Brock Hoffman, Zack Martin, Terence Steele, Cooper Beebe, T.J. Bass, Asim Richards, Matt Waletzko
If Guyton and Beebe start the opener, it would be the first time since 2011 that the Cowboys would have two rookie lineman on the first team. The swing tackle is uncertain after Chuma Edoga's toe injury, but he could return in October. Tough call to leave out rookie Nathan Thomas, but patella tendinitis kept him from practicing for long.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (9): DeMarcus Lawrence, Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, Chauncey Golston, Carl Lawson, Jordan Phillips, Linval Joseph
Sam Williams' season-ending knee injury was a blow, but pass-rush depth is a concern, even with Lawson on board late in camp. They added to the tackle depth with Phillips and Joseph. Smith's performance this summer has been markedly better than his rookie year. They're banking on the core guys playing more reps than in the past.
LINEBACKERS (6): Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark, DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, Willie Harvey, Buddy Johnson
There's a little worry over the health of Clark (knee), Overshown (hip and coming off a torn ACL) that at least early it makes sense to keep an extra linebacker, like Johnson. Harvey, a UFL addition, has been consistent since the start of camp. Nick Vigil was in consideration here because of familiarity with scheme and special teams play, but he could get back to the practice squad and be called up early.
CORNERBACKS (5): Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Caelen Carson, Andrew Booth, Israel Mukuamu.
Bland's foot injury is a major loss for the defense with him missing the first 6-8 weeks. Diggs, coming off a torn ACL last year, will be ready for the opener after going through two weeks of team drills. From the first practice to the last, Lewis might have been their best corner. But they'll need Carson, a rookie, to perform more than expected without Bland. Booth, a former second-round pick in Minnesota picked up in a trade, has done enough to earn a spot
SAFETIES (4): Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Markquese Bell, Juanyeh Thomas
This is the same group as the start of camp, but undrafted rookie Julius Wood has had some moments.
SPECIALISTS (3): Brandon Aubrey, Bryan Anger, Trent Sieg.
We're playing a roster shell game here at the start. Somehow, someway, cover man C.J. Goodwin will be back on the roster to play in the season opener. Don't look for a sophomore slump from Aubrey after nailing a 66-yarder in the preseason.