The hay is officially in the barn for the Dallas Cowboys, as their monthlong training camp and preseason have officially wrapped.
Now, the coaching staff and front office have a little under 48 hours before having to cut the roster from 91 players down to 53 prior to Sunday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
The Star-Telegram was present for all 15 training camp practices and three preseason games to take in every position battle and roster nuance. Here is my roster projection heading into the big day:
Quarterback (3)Dak Prescott, Joe Milton III, Sam Howell
It was close for most of training camp and preseason, but Joe Milton III pretty clearly pulled away in the race for the backup quarterback job on the homestretch. Sam Howell played well enough Friday night to warrant a roster spot, especially when you consider the $2.5 million fully guaranteed he’s making this year.
Running Back (4)Javonte Williams, Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, Hunter Luepke
Malik Davis got the night off Friday in the preseason finale, leaving just one job open between Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. Mafah getting the majority of the work Friday told me the coaching staff was giving him one last run at winning a job, but he came up short to Blue in the end.
Wide Receiver (5)George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo
Jonathan Mingo got the night off Friday, although a case could be made that his job was already viewed as safe going into the night based on comments by Brian Schottenheimer in the last couple of weeks. The decision to leave off Camden Brown comes down to who can actually contribute on special teams. I think the staff would favor someone with previous NFL special teams experience. Brown might be a tough one to retain on the practice squad, as I would call it a true 50/50 toss-up based on receivers that have been claimed in the past compared to the production he had this preseason.
Tight End (3)Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Luke Schoonmaker
We’ll stick to three here. Michael Trigg was given a good opportunity to show something coming off the toe injury Friday, but he won’t make it. I’d expect him and D.J. Rogers back on the practice squad.
Offensive Linemen (9)Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terence Steele, T.J. Bass, Nick Leverett, Drew Shelton, player not currently on the roster
The starting five and T.J. Bass make the top of this list easy, but it’s difficult figuring how the picture after that. Drew Shelton was awful in the preseason, but he was a fourth-round pick, and the team rarely parts with picks that high this early. Nick Leverett is the one I feel most confident about. I don’t think Nate Thomas showed enough in the preseason to earn a roster spot, especially if the Cowboys scavenge the waiver wire for other bodies, which I expect them to do.
Defensive Tackle (5)Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otito Ogbonnia, LT Overton, Jonathan Bullard
I think this group is pretty straight-forward. I wonder if Jonathan Bullard might be one of the two injured reserve/designated to return placements after missing most of camp with a groin issue, but it sounds like he should be good to go for Week 1. If he is on the injured list, then Jay Toia will probably sneak on.
Outside Linebacker (6)Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, Von Miller, James Houston, Sam Williams
If there’s one cut that could shock people that might be somewhat realistic, it’s James Houston. I kept him on this projection just because he has the production from last season and still looked good in the preseason. For the last spot, Marist Liufau’s wrist injury on Friday gives the Cowboys a way to keep both him and Sam Williams on the roster for now. I’m predicting that the staff uses that advantage. A potential surprise: Tyrus Wheat making the roster instead of Williams.
Inside Linebacker (4)Dee Winters, DeMarvion Overshown, Jaishawn Barham, Shemar James
The final spot came down to Shemar James and Justin Barron, but I see a bit more coverage versatility from James and special teams experience to keep the Florida product. Barron would be a high priority to get back on the practice squad, though.
Cornerback (6)DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant, Caleb Downs, Shavon Revel Jr., Devin Moore, player not currently on roster
Caleb Downs is factored into this projection as a cornerback because of how much nickel he will play when the season arrives. Devin Moore makes it safely, in my opinion, and an additional player makes it on either by way of waiver wire hunting or free agency. If a worthy option doesn’t present itself in either of those markets, then I would lean toward Derion Kendrick winning that spot.
Safety (5)Malik Hooker, Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke, Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark
This is where there will almost certainly be controversy. Julius Wood did literally everything asked of him in the preseason to warrant a spot, but Alijah Clark is a solid special teams player, and they need those on a unit they’re expecting more out of in 2026. This was one of the hardest decisions for me, but I gave Clark the edge.
Special Teams (3)Brandon Aubrey, Trent Sieg, Bryan Anger
Nothing to discuss here. All three specialists are healthy and ready to go.
Injured Reserve (2)Ajani Cornelius, Marist Liufau
Marist Liufau broke his forearm in the preseason finale, which will require surgery Monday and a weekslong absence. He seems like a guarantee to be on the injured reserve/designated to return list. The other spot could be Jonathan Bullard (groin), but I will go with Ajani Cornelius (knee), as the staff will most likely look around for offensive line help while keeping Cornelius stashed on the list.
Game schedule dates, times, locations Aug. 21 Rangers 2, L.A. Angels 1 (10 innings) Aug. 22 L.A. Angels 3, Rangers 0 Aug. 23 Rangers 5, L.A. Angels 3 Aug. 24 Rangers 11, Chicago White Sox 2 Aug. 25 Chicago White Sox 11, Rangers 7 Aug. 26 Chicago White Sox 10, Rangers 4 Aug. 28 Milwaukee 6, Rangers 1 Aug. 29 at Milwaukee, 6:15 p.m., Fox Aug. 30 at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m., RSN Aug. 31 vs. Athletics, 7:05 p.m., RSN Sept. 1 vs. Athletics, 7:05 p.m., RSN Sept. 2 vs. Athletics, 1:35 p.m., RSN Aug. 14 Indiana 98, Wings 87 Aug. 17 Golden State 78, Wings 70 Aug. 20 Wings 91, Indiana 85 Aug. 23 Wings 92, Seattle 70 Aug. 25 Wings 96, Portland 78 Aug. 30 vs. Connecticut, 7:30 p.m., WFAA, KFAA FIBA World Cup break Sept. 17 vs. Los Angeles, 7 p.m., KFAA, USA Sept. 19 vs. Phoenix, 12 p.m., CBS, Paramount+ Sept. 21 at Phoenix, 9 p.m., KFAA, USA Sept. 23 at Seattle, 9 p.m., KFAA, USA, CNBC End of regular season Preseason Aug. 15 Cowboys 17, Seattle 7 Aug. 22 Cowboys 34, Arizona 13 Aug. 28 New Orleans 27, Cowboys 24 Regular season Sept. 13 at N.Y. Giants, 7:20 p.m., NBC Sept. 20 vs. Washington, 3:25 p.m., Fox Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore (at Rio de Janeiro), 3:25 p.m., CBS Oct. 4 at Houston, 12 p.m., Fox Oct. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video Oct. 18 at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m., NBC Oct. 26 at Philadelphia, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC Nov. 1 vs. Arizona, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 8 at Indianapolis, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 15 vs. San Francisco, 3:25 p.m., Fox Nov. 22 vs. Tennessee, 12 p.m., Fox Nov. 26 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., Fox Dec. 7 at Seattle, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC Dec. 20 at L.A. Rams, 3:25 p.m., CBS Dec. 27 vs. Jacksonville, 7:20 p.m., NBC Jan. 3 vs. N.Y. Giants, 12 p.m., Fox Jan. 9 or 10 at Washington, TBA Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), 11 a.m., ESPN Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, 7 p.m., ESPN+ Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, 7 p.m., ESPNU Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA Oct. 3 vs. BYU, TBA Oct. 17 at Baylor, TBA Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, TBA Nov. 6 at Arizona, 9:15 p.m., ESPN Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA Nov. 26 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN Sept. 5 at Indiana, 11 a.m., Fox Sept. 12 vs. UNLV, 2:45 p.m., ESPNU Sept. 19 at Texas State, 11 a.m., USA Sept. 26 vs. Houston Christian, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ Oct. 1 at Tulsa, 8 p.m., ESPN Oct. 10 vs. Charlotte, TBA Oct. 24 at Navy, 2:30 p.m. CBSSN Oct. 29 vs. Florida Atlantic, 6:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2 Nov. 7 vs. Rice, TBA Nov. 14 at UTSA, TBA Nov. 21 at Tulane, TBA Nov. 28 vs. UAB, TBA All home games at Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium Aug. 27 vs. Central Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 5 at McNeese State, 6 p.m. Sept. 12 vs. Texas College, 6 p.m. Sept. 26 vs. Nelson, 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at Arkansas Baptist, 2 p.m. Oct. 10 at Louisiana Christian, 2 p.m. Oct. 17 vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor, 1 p.m. Oct. 24 at Langston, 2 p.m. Oct. 31 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State, 2 p.m. Nov. 7 at Ottawa (Arizona), 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at Wayland Baptist, 2 p.m. Aug. 8 FC Dallas 1, Chivas de Guadalajara 0 (Leagues Cup) Aug. 12 Toluca 3, FC Dallas 1 (Leagues Cup) Aug. 16 FC Dallas 2, Austin 1 Aug. 19 FC Dallas 4, Salt Lake 3 Aug. 22 Vancouver 5, FC Dallas 0 Aug. 30 at St. Louis, 6 p.m., Apple TV Sept. 5 vs. Kansas City, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV Sept. 9 at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV Sept. 12 vs. Portland, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV Sept. 19 vs. Austin, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV Aug. 29 Team Texas: David Starr’s Racing School Sept. 5 NASCAR Racing Experience Sept. 19 Drift n Drag Sept. 19 Black Light Run Sept. 25-26 Dumpster Expo Oct. 1-3 Dirt Track Championship Oct. 2-3 Goodguys Lone Star Nationals Oct. 14 Tony Stewart Bowling Tournament Oct. 16-17 High Limit Racing Championship Oct. 29-31 POWRi Racing
This story was originally published August 28, 2026 at 11:26 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.