Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster predictions: Training camp rolling

Specialists (3)

LS Jake McQuaide, PK Greg Zuerlein, P Hunter Niswander

Greg Zuerlein had a productive season with the team last year. While he is out nursing his back, the rumor on the block is he should be ready when it matters.

Jake McQuaide was recently signed by ST coach John Fassell after spending time with him in Los Angeles taking over long-time long snapper LP Ladouceur. It truly is a sad moment for fans and team, but Fassell turned around an ailing special teams unit from worst to near first so it’s only fair the team gives him what he wants.

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This leaves the punter competition as the only undiscussed issue about the roster. I do not know enough about the punters individually to have an informed argument about this topic, but I can analyze basic stats from last season along with contracts for the upcoming season.

Off the practice squad, Hunter Niswander signed a two-year deal worth over $1.5 million. This offseason the Cowboys signed Bryan Anger to a one-year deal. If either player gets cut, the team loses barely any money so contracts aren’t a big issue here.

Purely based on numbers, Niswander was the better player last season albeit on smaller sample size. His average punt yards was a full yard more than Anger’s and he had a higher “inside the 20” punt percentage than Anger. My surface-level analysis would suggest if the same continued through training camp and the preseason, Niswander has this job locked up.

With that concludes this incredibly brief and to-the-point prediction of how the roster shakes up after one week of training camp. The Dallas Cowboys will finally feature in a football game in less than a week, so buckle up folks because we’re about to have a good time!