Dallas Cowboys: 3 Dallas veterans who could be surprise summer cuts

Possible Dallas Cowboys Cut No. 3

Bradlee Anae/Dorance Armstrong, DE

We’re including two players here since they largely fit into the same category (it’s cheating, I know). With the new coaching staff there’s absolutely zero commitment to making old players, drafted by previous regimes, work out. Armstrong, of the Marinelli/Richard era) and Anae (of the Nolan era) are two defensive ends who will be playing for their roster spots in 2021.

The Dallas Cowboys drafted Osa Odighizuwa and Chauncey Golston in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and will be finding ways to get these controversial picks as much playing time as possible. While Odighizuwa is primarily a 3-tech, he shows the ability to also play outside in certain situations.

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And like Osa, Golston also has inside/outside ability, only he’ll be a defensive end first and a tackle second. Grooming and developing these young players will be a priority of the coaching staff since they could potentially serve as cheap labor for Dallas over the next four seasons (Armstrong is a free agent in ‘22 and Anae in ‘24).

Last season, everyone not named DeMarcus Lawrence, was a liability against the run. As such, there’s no reason to hand a roster spot to either Armstrong or Anae. Tarell Basham and/or Ron’Dell Carter could easily push one of the two off the 53-man roster.

Also not safe…

A pair of veteran receivers also face the chopping block this summer: Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown.

Wilson costs $2.183 million against the cap this year while Brown is $987,500. While this isn’t an exorbitant sum, it’s not exactly cheap for a WR4 and WR5 either. If the rookie draft pick, Simi Fehoko, and one of the promising undrafted free agents shine in camp, we could see one or even both of these veterans cut.

But at the same time, we can’t underrate the importance of Noah Brown and his elite blocking ability from the WR position. It makes up for the Cowboys blocking deficiency at TE and gives Dallas a versatile tool to play with.

We also can’t overlook the trust Kellen Moore has in Cedrick Wilson. Even as a rookie, Wilson was well versed in all three WR positions and served  as an important depth player because of it. He can play special teams as well so chances are Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy will want to keep him around another year in Dallas.

Who are we missing? Is there someone you see as a possible veteran casualty this summer? Let us known and discuss in the comments section.