Cowboys Who Need Strong Preseason Finish to Make 53-Man Roster

The Dallas Cowboys are hoping to finally break through in the postseason in 2024. But first, the front office and coaching staff will have to work to figure out which 53 players will pursue that goal on the initial active roster.

That goal will be at the forefront of their minds as they close out their preseason on Saturday afternoon against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Cowboys stars are well known and they are bringing back the core of a team that went 12-5 last season. The real question marks lie in the depth behind those players.

The coaching staff and front office are going to consider performance in practices, camps and OTAs to determine who ultimately makes the cut. The preseason games serve a purpose in the decision-making process too, though.

These three players need to use the game to make a final case that they belong on that initial 53-man roster.

Edge-Rusher Tyrus Wheat

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Tyrus Wheat

Sam Williams injury was a major blow to the Cowboys defense. The third-year pro was in line to take on a bigger role within the defense after Dorance Armstrong followed Dan Quinn to Washington.

However, Williams suffered a torn ACL and MCL that is expected to force him to miss the season.

That opens the door for at least one surprising player to make the roster as a rotational defensive end. 2023 undrafted free agent Tyrus Wheat has been making a compelling case and will get one final opportunity in the final preseason game.

Wheat is an interesting prospect who played both linebacker and edge-rusher at Mississippi State. The Cowboys have primarily lined him up as a defensive end in camp, but the more important position has been his role on kickoff coverage.

Wheat played 193 special teams snaps for the Cowboys last season so that could seperate him from other potential defensive ends in the hunt. The Cowboys will also be considering veterans Carl Lawson and Al-Quadin Muhammad.

If Wheat can show he can play special teams and add potential as a pass-rusher he'll make the roster.

RB Deuce Vaughn

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Deuce Vaughn

Deuce Vaughn was a preseason darling as a rookie in 2023. Now he needs to put together a strong preseason game to potentially make the roster.

Vaughn did eventually find his way on the field for the Cowboys offense in 2023. It was just rough when he got there. He averaged just 1.7 yards per carry on 23 rushes and caught just one pass that led to a first down.

The running back room is now more wide open than ever, but Vaughn will enter the preseason game as one of the five running backs that are listed as the team's fourth running back.

The top three on the unofficial depth chart, in order, are Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Royce Freeman. Dowdle has the most upside of the three. Elliott is nearing 30 and Freeman has not really caught on anywhere he's gone since he started his career in Denver.

Another roster spot is likely to go to Hunter Luepke. He will serve as the team's fullback.

Vaughn is a different kind of running back at 5'5", 176 pounds. He's going to have to prove that he can be a bigger asset to the offense than Royce Freeman if he wants to earn a spot on the active roster.

CB Eric Scott Jr.

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Eric Scott Jr.

The Cowboys don't have to worry about their depth in the secondary. It's going to be interesting who makes the cut because there have been several players beyond the obvious starters who have flashed in training camp or the preseason.

Eric Scott is a good example. The second-year player picked off Stetson Bennett in the preseason game against the Rams, but he's not a complete lock to make the roster.

Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis are the default starters. Caelen Carson should make it by virtue of being a fifth-round pick from the most recent draft. That leaves newly acquired corner Andrew Booth Jr., Kemon Hall, Josh Butler and Scott to battle for two or three roster spots.

The Cowboys just traded for Booth so it would be kind of surprising if they didn't at least keep him on the active roster.

That means a final roster spot could really come down to whoever has a better game between Hall, Butler and Scott. Pressure's on.