Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster projection 3.0: Would you rather…
By Reid Hanson
Who do we project will make the Dallas Cowboys final 53 man roster? Take a look and explore the ultimate game of ‘would you rather’?
The Dallas Cowboys are on the cusp of their third preseason game which means the time to make decisions is now. Cut downs start in a few days so there’s a good chance most of the tough calls have already been made.
This is the ultimate game of “Would you Rather?” For every action there’s a reaction. Want to keep seven receivers? Cool. That means you can only keep three tight ends. What to call Tavon Austin a RB and keep five on the final roster. Fine but now you can only keep six receivers. Want to keep Ward, Ealy, and Tapper? You can as long as you go massively thin elsewhere.
It’s a zero sum game here. If one position unit wins, another must lose. Who are you willing to sacrifice so your pet cat makes the team? After all, that’s essentially what Jerry Jones is saying in this quote:
Jerry Jones praised Rico Gathers' athleticism and hands, then added: "He blocks well when he's blocking the right man. He's got enough there, but the angst comes when you're sitting there looking at the guy that's not on the roster because you kept him on the roster."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 19, 2018
Who’s gonna make it and who’s gonna get cut? Let’s start with some controversy right away:
Quarterback (2)
Dak Prescott/Cooper Rush
Yes, I know Dallas invested a fifth round pick in Mike White. Yes, I know they rarely give up on picks in the first year. But I also know the Dallas Cowboys don’t like to keep three QBs on their roster unless they feel they have to. And I know they are worried about other position units more than they are QB.
Mike White isn’t close to being NFL ready. He may be able to hit the crossbar but he has a long way to ge before he can effectively play QB. His offensive line hasn’t been doing him any favors but he hasn’t been doing them any either. He has no pocket awareness and holds the ball far too long. My kids are convinced this guy’s name is “throw the ball!” because that’s what I keep yelling every time he drops backs.
Dallas might not be able to sneak him onto their practice squad, but he’s not worth wasting a roster spot on with so many other questionable units on the roster. He looks like too big of a project and Dallas wants to win now. If it were a fragile Romo at QB1 I’d keep White, but Dak is built like a tank and a QB3 is unlikely to be needed this season.