{"id":420493,"date":"2026-08-29T20:08:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T20:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/420493\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T20:08:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T20:08:40","slug":"predicting-the-dallas-cowboys-17-man-practice-squad-following-preseason-finale-multiple-fan-favorites-make-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/420493\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 17-man practice squad following preseason finale, multiple fan favorites make it"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\tHome<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNFL<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDallas Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys fans mostly care about the 53 players making the roster. But what about the practice squad? Let\u2019s game it out. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Jul
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJul 29, 2026; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys tackle Shiyazh Pete (75) at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Once they\u2019re finished with roster cuts, the Dallas Cowboys will quickly pivot to building their 17-man practice squad. I recently posted my final 53-man roster prediction<\/a>. Now it\u2019s time to predict that squad.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys will likely look beyond their own 91 players to build it, but to simplify the below exercise I kept it to players already on the team. <\/p>\n

17 predictions for the Cowboys\u2019 practice squad<\/p>\n

Note: Players with one asterisk (*) represent 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) represent 2026 undrafted free agents.<\/p>\n

RB Phil Mafah \u2013 At one point of training camp, Mafah appeared to be right in the competition for RB2. That changed throughout the preseason but he\u2019s still a solid depth player to add to the squad. <\/p>\n

RB Israel Abanikanda \u2013 The Cowboys were pleasantly surprised by Abanikanda\u2019s performance in training camp. <\/p>\n

WR Anthony Smith* \u2013 The Cowboys like speedy wide receivers and Smith can be that and more. He needs time developing but expect the team to add their seventh-round pick to the practice squad. <\/p>\n

TE Michael Trigg** \u2013 The undrafted tight end did not have the preseason he wanted, missing one game and going catchless despite three targets on Friday night. But the upside is still there as long as he wants to put the work in. <\/p>\n

TE DJ Rogers** \u2013 Though Trigg was the most popular of the two, the Cowboys clearly like Rogers. They signed him to the second-highest guaranteed money out of their undrafted free agency class, only $80,000 below Trigg. <\/p>\n

WR Jordan Hudson** \u2013 Hudson might end up going back to college football after a judge ruled he and 40 other players are eligible for a fifth season. If he wants to stick around in the pros, Friday\u2019s 97-yard game was the perfect audition for a practice squad spot. <\/p>\n

OT Marcellus Johnson \u2013 Whether it\u2019s in-house or someone from outside the team, the Cowboys willl likely keep some OL depth. <\/p>\n

OL Shiyazh Pete** \u2013 Not only did he prove he can deliver a heck of a locker room speech, Pete\u2019s size and length are too enticing to move on from him. He can be an intriguing long-term developmental project for the Cowboys. Plus, that speech quickly made him a fan favorite.<\/p>\n

DT Jay Toia \u2013 The Cowboys have a lot of versatility at DT but Toia can provide solid nose tackle depth if needed. <\/p>\n

DT Tommy Dunn Jr.** \u2013 The rookie had a standout preseason, culminating on a big TFL on Friday night. Solid depth. <\/p>\n

EDGE Isaiah Land \u2013 I had Tyrus Wheat as a surprise member of my 53-man roster, so Land takes his place on the practice squad. <\/p>\n

LB Justin Barron \u2013 I really enjoyed Barron\u2019s preseason and believe he can contribute on special teams. Right now, the Cowboys probably can\u2019t make the roster math work. But expect him on the practice squad. <\/p>\n

LB Curtis Robinson \u2013 More of a veteran presence than Barron, the Cowboys can ensure some depth at LB here. <\/p>\n

CB Reddy Steward \u2013 Not sure Steward clears waivers this year. But he\u2019s proven to be a solid backup nickelback while also playing safety. <\/p>\n

S Alijah Clark \u2013 More depth at safety and a potential special teams contributor. <\/p>\n

S Julius Wood \u2013 Wood was one of the best Cowboys players this preseason, emerging as a fan favorite. Going with six safeties on the 53 is tough though. If he clears waivers, he\u2019s on the squad for sure. <\/p>\n

DT Dayo Odeleye (Internatgional Player Exemption) \u2013 The exemption allows the Cowboys to carry Odeleye as a member of the practice squad without him counting toward the 16-player limit. <\/p>\n

\"Play<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Aug\t\t<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys News<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t7 Winners and 4 Losers from Cowboys Preseason Finale: New roster locks emerge, unexpected rookie WR shines\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dallas Cowboys preseason has come to an end. Who stood out (and who didn\u2019t) in the last game before roster cuts on Sunday? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Home \/ NFL \/ Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys fans mostly care about the 53 players making the roster.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":420494,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,113,104,103,146436,62323],"class_list":["post-420493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-practice-squad","tag-reddy-steward"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}