There wasn't really anything the Dallas Cowboys could do at roster cuts that would spoil the absolutely great news of CeeDee Lamb signing his massive contract extension, but that doesn't mean the Cowboys won't have any regrets with the players they decided to let go.
NFL teams had to cut their rosters down from 90 players to just 53 on Tuesday, and Wednesday will be a frenzy of teams working to get hundreds of players back onto their respective practice squads. But anytime you cut a player when you're trimming to 53, you're taking a big risk that another team could scoop them up.
So which players might the Cowboys regret letting out of the building?
1. Tyron Billy-Johnson, wide receiver
One of the players who had a really good training camp and some nice moments in the preseason who could be considered a surprise cut at this point is wide receiver Tyron Billy-Johnson. Formerly known as just Tyron Johnson, the veteran receiver has a history of production in the NFL as a vertical threat for Justin Herbert and the Chargers once upon a time.
We haven't heard much from him in recent years, but he started stacking some days at Cowboys training camp and making a lot of big plays as a receiver. Considering the fact that the Cowboys entered training camp with questions at the wide receiver position and their depth there, Billy-Johnson not being included after a strong showing is at least a little surprising.
Thanks to the NFL's rules allowing players with multiple accrued seasons on the practice squad, perhaps we'll see him back with the team anyway, but if he goes on and makes some plays elsewhere, the Cowboys might be kicking themselves.
2. Kemon Hall, cornerback
NFL teams are like vultures when it comes to the cornerback position, because you can never have too many good ones.
Well, the Cowboys were risking it all when they decided to move on from Kemon Hall, a young corner who had a really good preseason showing that included a pick-six against the Las Vegas Raiders. After his preseason ascent, Hall got a little featured piece on the Cowboys' official website detailing his long journey to competing for a roster spot in Dallas:
"I've worked so hard to stay in the mix. And every opportunity that's come around, I try my best to capitalize on it, and I'm grateful for that.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity right now. The [pick-six versus the Raiders is] everything. I really wanna be on the 53-man roster — being productive on the squad. I worked so hard in the offseason to stay in the mix. Even though things might not go my way, I got released, but God had something bigger for me.
"I just stayed ready, and when the opportunity comes, I try to capitalize."
Kemon Hall (via DallasCowboys.com)
Hall is a quintessential preseason feel-good story, and this isn't even his first stint with the Cowboys. He was on the roster for a brief time back in 2020, and he's appeared on a variety of different NFL rosters throughout his professional career. The Cowboys claimed him off of waivers from the 49ers back in late July, and he's now subject to the dreaded waiver wire again.
Given the fact that Dallas cut him after a strong showing, it would be unsurprising to see him generate interest elsewhere in the league and seek out a better opportunity to play right away unless Dallas agreed to make him an immediate practice squad elevation. There will always be demand for corners in the NFL, especially guys who showed out like Hall in the preseason.
3. Royce Freeman, running back
The Dallas Cowboys have taken an interesting strategic path at the running back position this offseason. They are a lot more confident in the guys they've got right now than the outside perception. Let's take a quick look at the depth chart...
Ezekiel Elliott is the presumptive RB1 in Dallas, which is nothing new to Cowboys fans, but it's also old news. Elliott was a first-round pick way back in 2016 and even though he's only 29 years old, that's pretty old in running back terms. Especially with all of the usage Elliott has seen throughout the course of his career.
Behind Elliott right now are Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn. Dowdle had a respectable 361 yards and two rushing touchdowns last year but we didn't see anything from Deuce Vaughn at all. The Cowboys are obviously trusting in the scouting and vision on those guys behind Elliott, because Royce Freeman had a pretty good offseason program for this team.
The former third-round pick of the Denver Broncos out of Oregon impressed the Cowboys' coaching staff not only as a running back but as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and a core-four special teams asset. The decision to cut Freeman leaves the Cowboys vulnerable to losing him to other running back-needy teams, but some might argue that backs like Freeman are a dime a dozen.
The Cowboys are sniffing around the idea of bringing in Dalvin Cook as a free agent pickup, so perhaps the team isn't done adding at running back. Freeman could be back on the practice squad but he had seemingly done well enough to earn a roster spot.
4. Viliami Fehoko, EDGE
There's no doubt that the Cowboys will try to get Viliami Fehoko back onto their practice squad, but by subjecting him to waivers this early on in his NFL career, they did something no NFL team wants to do:
Admit defeat on a relatively high draft choice.
The Cowboys used a fourth-round pick on Fehoko just last year. He wasn't even close to the highest draft pick from his class cut on Tuesday, but Fehoko was the 129th overall selection and playing at a position group where the Cowboys really needed someone to step up after Sam Williams suffered a major knee injury early in camp.
The fact that they couldn't even get enough out of him to make the initial 53-man roster is extremely concerning, and it begs the question of whether or not Fehoko will even want to come back to Dallas. Yes, this is the team that drafted him, but the Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator in Mike Zimmer, who wasn't around when Fehoko was drafted.
If Fehoko doesn't just end up on the Commanders with Dan Quinn, it wouldn't be shocking to see him land in another situation elsewhere in the league where he might have a chance to develop. The thing you really dread when you let a guy go like this is the idea that someone else is going to get the best ouf of him, leaving your scouting department and coaching staff wondering what went wrong.
Of course, Cowboys fans are roasting the initial selection of Fehoko in the first place since Dallas passed on Puka Nacua on Day 3 of the draft, who turned out to be one of the most electric rookies in the entire league last year.
5. Eric Scott, cornerback
Just like the situation with Kemon Hall, it's entirely possible that the Cowboys will regret cutting cornerback Eric Scott, a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, should he land elsewhere and find immediate success.
The Cowboys are relatively deep at the cornerback position, even after losing DaRon Bland to injury. Mike McCarthy and Mike Zimmer didn't end up keeping an overabundance of players at the cornerback position, especially surprising after Bland went down.
Even with Bland given the "Designated For Return" label on the injured reserve, he's still out for a minimum of four games and the Cowboys are counting on Trevon Diggs to return to form quickly after going down with a season-ending injury in 2023. They are relying heavily on 2024 rookie Caelen Carson, recent trade acquisition Andrew Booth, as well as slot corner Jourdan Lewis.
What's the primary issue with sending someone like Eric Scott to waivers?
The Washington Commanders and Dan Quinn are lurking near the top of the waiver order.
Quinn has already proven this offseason that he's willing to poach any number of former Cowboys to bring to the Commanders, and Scott could be the next. In fact, you'd almost be surprised at this point if that didn't happen. Keep in mind -- when Scott was drafted by the Cowboys, they actually traded up to get him.
This is a player who was obviously really well liked by the defensive staff in Dallas prior to Mike Zimmer's arrival and he had a number of good moments in the preseason for Dallas. He has the talent to contribute to a secondary and special teams and the Cowboys might regret letting him get away with their lack of depth right now.
6. Jalen Moreno-Cropper, wide receiver
If you want to know how much stock gets put into preseason games as opposed to just practices at training camp, Jalen Moreno-Cropper might be a prime example.
The Cowboys were getting some tremendous work from Moreno-Cropper during training camp, but as Jerry Trotta of The Landry Hat points out, it just wasn't coming together for him on the field in actual preseason games:
"On Saturday, Cropper fumbled on a punt return that put Las Vegas on the doorstep. He probably shouldn't have fielded the punt. It was a booming kick and he had to retreat some 15 yards just to catch it deep in the red zone...
Speaking of the fumble, Cropper dropped the ball before even getting hit. He has taken heat for the way he holds the ball. He carries it away from his body, making it easy for defenders to jar it loose.
...He's flashed as a receiver, but he had a bad drop on Saturday. Trey Lance left the pass a little behind Cropper, but it hit him in the hands. That was his only target in the game."
Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
So, perhaps the Cowboys were justified to cut this player after a rough preseason outing, but these are the exact types of players whose talent might be bubbling beneath the surface and the right opportunity can unlock their full potential. The Cowboys will probably want to bring Moreno-Cropper back to the practice squad, and because most every team has their version of a guy like this, he'll probably make it.
With that said, if another team caught wind that Moreno-Cropper was out there dominating in practices, they might be willing to take a shot on him and pluck him away from Dallas with a better practice squad offer or maybe even a 53-man roster spot.
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