5 Players Who Might Find Themselves on Dallas Cowboys' Practice Squad in 2015

The practice squad is one of the most overlooked facets of the 32 NFL franchises. For the first time in a long time, the Cowboys' roster is loaded enough that their practice squad will be home to some very good players. Gone are the days of players like Cameron Lawrence making the 53-man roster when his talent suggests that he should be on the practice squad. 

The practice squad is home to players that the Cowboys would like to develop for the future. These players are usually young and athletic with intriguing skill sets. Over the course of the year, these players will be asked to give the No. 1 offense and defense a taste of what they will see on game day. 

It is the hope that these players will progress enough that they will one day make the 53-man roster and become valuable assets to the team. 

With that said, let's take a look five players who may end up on the Cowboys practice squad when the season begins. 

Geoff Swaim

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When the Cowboys traded back into the seventh round to select Geoff Swaim, it was odd, especially because of the fact that tight end was a position that would be one of the hardest for a rookie to break into. To make the 53-man roster, Swaim would have to beat out James Hanna or Gavin Escobar, which is a tall task. 

Hanna has developed a niche on the team as a good blocking tight end and a solid special teamer. It is unlikely that Swaim will be able to beat Hanna in either of those areas. Escobar is a huge red-zone threat who's shown flashes of becoming a big weapon; however, it has been hard for him to break out behind Jason Witten.

Furthermore, it is even more unlikely that the Cowboys would cut a recent second-round pick in favor of a seventh-round pick.

All this means is that Swaim is destined for the practice squad unless the Cowboys decide to keep four tight ends on the final roster. 

Swaim is an intriguing athlete with great size and soft hands, all of which makes him worth developing. On the practice squad, he would have time to develop his route-running and blocking abilities, which would help make him a more serious threat to take over for Hanna or Escobar in 2016. 

Swaim may be the easiest projection to the practice squad for the Cowboys this year. 

Shane McDermott

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Every year, the Cowboys like to keep one or two versatile offensive linemen on the practice squad in case of an emergency call-up. This year, that player could be interior offensive lineman Shane McDermott. 

He is an intriguing player because of his ability to play at center or either of the guard spots, which are arguably some of the thinnest spots on the Cowboys roster. DallasCowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus stated:

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Mackenzy Bernadeau and Shane McDermott are working with the second offense at center and guard. When Bernadeau takes his turn at center, McDermott is the guard and when McDermott lines up at center, then you see Bernadeau take the snaps at guard. McDermott was a natural center while in college at Miami, but the fact that he can line up and function as well as he has in these practices says a lot about his ability. He is going to get a ton of work in these preseason games with a good shot of hanging on with the practice squad.

"

These are all good signs for the rookie interior offensive lineman, as versatility is one of the most important qualities a player looking to stick around in Dallas can possess. 

If McDermott can develop his core strength and become more technically sound with his footwork, he could take Mackenzy Bernadeau's spot as the utility interior offensive lineman on the Cowboys' final roster. 

McDermott may never crack the starting lineup, but with a season or two on the practice squad, he could become a valuable asset to the depth of the offensive line. 

Mark Nzeocha

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One of the most intriguing players on the bottom half of the Cowboys' roster is linebacker Mark Nzeocha. He is an athletic freak, who was the second-most athletic off-ball linebacker in this class, and he tested into the 95.3 percentile among off-ball linebackers in the NFL, per Three Sigma Athlete's Zach Whitman.

However, he is still recovering from a torn ACL that occurred just eight months ago and has kept him out of offseason activities up to this point. Therefore, he could be a candidate to go on injured reserve if he can't get healthy enough by training camp.

For the purposes of this article, let's assume that he gets healthy enough to participate in training camp. This is where he is able to display his incredible athleticism, which should intrigue a lot of people in the Cowboys front office. 

Unfortunately, the Cowboys are stacked at linebacker right now, and it will be difficult for Nzeocha to crack the lineup this season. Luckily for him, he would be a fantastic addition to the practice squad, where he could develop his diagnosing skill and become more fluid in coverage. 

When you think of the type of player you want on a practice squad, Nzeocha fits perfectly. 

Efe Obada

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Efe Obada hasn't played football for any significant stretch of time in his life. In fact, his only experience playing football was in five games with the London Warriors, a team in the British American Football League, as a defensive end. 

The factors that make Obada intriguing are his size and athleticism. At 6'5" and 255 pounds, Obada has the prototypical size to play defensive end in the NFL. Couple that with a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, 1.53-second 10-yard dash and a 121-inch broad jump, and you get a promising combination of size and athleticism. 

Nonetheless, Obada hasn't played enough football in his life to even be considered worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster. It is foolish to believe that a player with only five games of football experience in his life will beat out players who have been playing since they were teenagers. Obada just has no idea how to incorporate the nuances to the game into his playing style. 

The only way Obada can attain that knowledge is through repetition and playing experience, which he will get in the preseason and possibly on the practice squad. 

Obada is a long-term prospect for the Cowboys, which means he is likely destined for a few years on the practice squad. 

Deontay Greenberry

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After the 2015 NFL draft, the Cowboys went heavy at wide receiver in undrafted free agency with the signings of George Farmer, Deontay Greenberry, Lucky Whitehead and Antwan Goodley, who all have a legitimate shot at making the 53-man roster. 

The reason they all have a shot is because of the departure of Dwayne Harris, which leaves one of the five wide receiver roster spots open on the final roster. The most likely outcome is that one of those four players will make the 53-man roster, while another one will get stashed on the practice squad. 

At the moment, the favorite to make the 53-man roster is Whitehead because of his explosive abilities out of the slot and as a kick returner. However, the favorite to take the practice squad spot could be Greenberry. 

Greenberry may be the best pure wide receiver out of the four, as he has the size and body control to make plays from the slot or outside. Nevertheless, he still needs to sharpen his route-running and improve his concentration when catching the ball. 

Greenberry would be an ideal candidate for the practice squad because he would be able to improve on those two facets and possibly make the final roster next year.