The Dallas Cowboys made a couple of notable additions to the 90-man roster over the last 12 hours, acquiring veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants and signing defensive end Carl Lawson.
Phillips and Lawson should provide much-needed depth to a Cowboys’ defensive line that saw a couple of players leave in free agency (Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr.) and Sam Williams suffer a season-ending knee injury at the beginning of training camp.
However, adding those two veteran defensive linemen to the 90-man roster now puts a few players on the roster bubble with only two preseason games left this month. Below, we’ll discuss those players’ roster outlook with the 2024 regular season on the horizon.
1. Albert Huggins
The addition of Phillips on the Cowboys’ defensive line could spell bad news for Albert Huggins later this month.
The sixth-year defensive lineman was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons Wednesday as he was kicked out of the team’s joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams. Huggins reportedly knocked down a member of the Rams’ staff, which LA took offense to.
If you are Huggins, that was the last thing you wanted to do after being signed by the team on Aug. 6. The 27-year-old defensive tackle played 32 defensive snaps in the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Rams, but only mustered two total tackles.
Before signing with Dallas, Huggins spent the 2023 season with the Atlanta Falcons, where he had 22 combined tackles, two quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery in 13 games (five starts).
The Cowboys reportedly cut defensive lineman Carl Davis on Thursday, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Huggins is next in the coming days/week.
Cowboys working through corresponding roster moves this morning after adding two bodies on the defensive line. DT Carl Davis is being waived by the team. One more move necessary. #DallasCowboys
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisDC) August 15, 2024
2. Viliami Fehoko Jr.
Fehoko Jr. was one of the players we highlighted last week on Sport DFW, who could be cut before playing a regular-season snap.
The 2023 fourth-round pick saw his 53-man roster odds take a massive hit after the team signed Lawson on Thursday. Fehoko is listed under the second-team at DT for the Cowboys, but it's not a guarantee he will make the squad with Lawson and Phillips joining the fold.
Fehoko didn’t play his rookie season as it was spent on injured reserve. That’s not a good sign, given the Cowboys took him in the fourth round. The 24-year-old defensive line played well at San Jose State, recording 43 tackles for loss, and 22 sacks over his last three seasons.
However, that production and ability haven’t translated over to the pros. The former San Jose State star played 37 defensive snaps in last week’s preseason game against the Rams. But he didn’t register a single stat in the Cowboys’ one-point loss to Los Angeles.
Nonetheless, Fehoko has two more preseason games, starting with this weekend’s contest against the Las Vegas Raiders to make an impact on the field. If the former fourth-round pick can’t do that, the Cowboys may have to strongly think about trading him before the regular season starts.
3. Durrell Johnson
The 26-year-old defensive end has a major uphill climb to make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster this summer. Before Dallas’ first preseason game against the Rams, Johnson was listed as the third-team DE behind Chauncey Golston and DeMarcus Lawrence.
The former Liberty defensive lineman wasn’t going to take snaps away from those two EDGE rushers, but having another veteran behind you in Al-Quadin Muhammad and now Lawson, puts Johnson in a tough spot.
The 6-foot-3 defensive end was signed to a reserve/futures contract by the Cowboys in January after being signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL Draft.
Johnson played 25 defensive snaps and managed one total tackle. Dallas likely wants to see more from the former Liberty defensive lineman over the next two games before making a call on his roster spot. He’s competing with a lot of other fringe/depth defensive linemen, who are looking to make the team.
Since the Cowboys signed Johnson to a futures contract, they believe in his talent. Now he needs to put something on tape.
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