Dallas Cowboys Final 53-man roster prediction (Final Cut Edition)
By Reid Hanson
Dallas Cowboys Final 53-man roster prediction
Linebacker (5)
Micah Parsons, Keanu Neal, Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, Jabril Cox
The falloff behind LB5 is significant that’s why I have the Dallas Cowboys sticking with just five here. Parsons and Neal are your main guys. They play primarily nickel which account for 70% of the snaps. LVE and Jaylon will cycle in base packages and Jabril Cox will be used sparingly.
Cox had a great camp and should get looks in variety of ways but the real star is Micah Parsons. Parsons will move around everywhere. Dan Quinn has built this defense around his rookie and we should expect everything from him this year (including D-line play).
Dallas Cowboys Cornerback (6)
Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown, Maurice Canady, Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Jourdan Lewis
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Diggs is the big dog with Brown as the early favorite to claim the other outside spot early. Canady has been the best inside CB on the team and should edge Lewis out for nickel CB.
Joseph is the future outside and should slide into a starting role at some point this season. Wright is going to be more matchup specific early but has already proven to be a little better than advertised. And as you should remember, we included Goodwin on the special teams unit.
Dallas Cowboys Safety (5)
Donovan Wilson, Damontae Kazee, Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse, Israel Mukuamu
Wilson is the clear starter at SS while Hooker and Kazee should see time at FS and as split safeties. In earlier roster projections I had Kearse missing the cut but Kearse did a pretty good job of shutting me up. He’s been a standout in the preseason and a big guy the coaches seem to love.
But instead of adding him at Izzy’s expense, I’m giving Izzy the final roster spot. Mukuamu is a long and lean weapon who can be used situationally a variety of ways. He’s a poor tackler but brings a unique set of coverage skills and a great competitive attitude to the mix.
Final Count: 53
Who do you have making the cut and missing the cut? Discuss below!