Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster prediction (training camp edition 1.0)
By Reid Hanson
Dallas Cowboys roster prediction
Offensive line (9) Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Tyler Smith, Terence Steele, Josh Ball, Tyler Biadasz, Connor McGovern, Matt Farniok, Matt Waletzko
The Dallas Cowboys are gambling big at the tackle position. Not only is Tyron Smith a constant injury risk, but Terence Steele is a bull rush away from being a speedbump. Backing up the starters is Josh Ball, who redshirted his only year in the pros, and Waletzko who is a raw rookie who’s already injured. It wouldn’t shock me to a veteran swing tackle walk in one day before week 1.
Tight End (4) Dalton Schultz, Jake Ferguson, Sean McKeon, Peyton Hendershot
The big surprise here is I have Peyton Hendershot making the team ahead of Jeremy Sprinkle. Bold, to be sure, since we haven’t seen much of Hendershot to warrant the removal of a veteran like Sprinkle. But Sprinkle is a one-dimensional blocking TE on a team full of blocking tight ends.
McKeon and Ferguson are both blocking specialists. Sure, they have pass catching upside (Ferg is going to surprise folks) but their bread and butter is blocking. What the Dallas Cowboys lack is a pass-catching TE to pick up where Blake Jarwin left off.
Hendershot isn’t much inline, but flexed out in the slot he’s a pretty nifty weapon up the seam. And last season the Cowboys used Schultz a lot as an X while running trips opposite him. Schultz was ineffective in this role – a situation Hendershot could thrive.