First 53: Dallas Cowboys initial roster
This is the first 53-man roster of the season for the Dallas Cowboys, not the final one. It will change soon and several times.
Having said that, here is an initial look at the 2014 Cowboys:
QUARTERBACKS (3)
Tony Romo
Brandon Weeden
Dustin Vaughan
Vaughan, the undrafted free agent from West Texas A&M, surviving the cuts is a mild surprise. The Cowboys haven’t kept a third quarterback on the roster in recent years, but they saw enough potential in Vaughan to determine he was worth developing and didn’t want to expose him to waivers. They had a sixth-round draft grade on Vaughan.
RUNNING BACKS (4)
DeMarco Murray
Lance Dunbar
Joseph Randle
Tyler Clutts
Ryan Williams was the best player to be cut by the Cowboys. The former second-round pick, whose three seasons in Arizona were ruined by injuries, proved that he is healthy and an NFL talent. He just got caught in a numbers game and couldn’t contribute as much on special teams as Randle, who also ran well during the preseason. There was some question about whether the Cowboys would keep a fullback, but head coach Jason Garrett believes Clutts can help enough in short-yardage and goal-line situations to justify the roster spot.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5)
Dez Bryant
Terrance Williams
Cole Beasley
Dwayne Harris
Devin Street
If the Cowboys had the luxury of keeping six receivers, LaRon Byrd would probably be on the roster. The big receiver should end up on the practice squad if he clears waivers, but he never really had a chance to crack this top five, which features four proven playmakers and a fifth-round pick.
TIGHT ENDS (3)
Jason Witten
Gavin Escobar
James Hanna
It would be nice to have a better blocker among the backups. The coaches need to find ways to utilize Escobar’s receiving ability.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9)
Tyron Smith
Ronald Leary
Travis Frederick
Zack Martin
Doug Free
Mackenzy Bernadeau
Jermey Parnell
John Wetzel
Darrion Weems
It’s a curious decision to keep tackles Wetzel and Weems over guard Uche Nwaneri, who started 91 games over the past six seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nwaneri didn’t perform well in the preseason finale, but neither did Wetzel, and Weems didn’t play the whole preseason.
DEFENSIVE LINE (11)
George Selvie
Henry Melton
Terrell McClain
Jeremy Mincey
Tyrone Crawford
Davon Coleman
Ken Bishop
Nick Hayden
Anthony Spencer
DeMarcus Lawrence
Lavar Edwards
The Cowboys traded a conditional seventh-round pick to get Edwards from the Tennessee Titans. This group is expected to be trimmed to 10 when the Cowboys place Lawrence, the second-round pick recovering from foot surgery, on the short-term injured reserve, meaning he will miss the first eight games. When Josh Brent is added, will it cost Hayden his job? The Cowboys should still search for pass-rushing help.
LINEBACKERS (6)
Bruce Carter
Justin Durant
Kyle Wilber
Anthony Hitchens
Rolando McClain
Cam Lawrence
Seventh-rounder Will Smith was one of two draft picks who didn’t survive the cuts. The first five players listed in this group are still competing for starting jobs and will continue to, maybe for the whole season. Lawrence is one of the Cowboys’ best special teamers.
CORNERBACKS (4)
Brandon Carr
Morris Claiborne
Sterling Moore
Tyler Patmon
The Cowboys are taking a risk by only going with four cornerbacks while Orlando Scandrick is suspended, especially considering Claiborne’s durability issues. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if they added to this group. Seventh-rounder Terrance Mitchell had a golden opportunity to make the team after Scandrick’s suspension and 2013 fourth-round pick B.W. Webb’s release, but his lack of discipline led to his release. Mitchell could end up on the practice squad.
SAFETIES (5)
Barry Church
J.J. Wilcox
Jeff Heath
Ahmad Dixon
Jemea Thomas
Jakar Hamilton is expected to have a spot on the team after finishing his four-game suspension. Without him, the Cowboys don’t have any center-fielder type safeties on the roster.
SPECIALISTS (3)
Dan Bailey
Chris Jones
L.P. Ladouceur
Never any questions here.
