The Dallas Cowboys entertain on HBOs. Hard knock This preseason series, presentation Dak Prescottdesire to return to the field, Ezekiel Elliottthe joy of being close to his teammates again, and players considered LB Azur Kamara to be a Cinderella season.
All NFL teams must trim their rosters to 80 by Tuesday and 53 by August 31. Dallas needs to make some significant changes to the roster over the next few weeks, including what to do with its large number of WRs. Fortunately, there are a few players at the bottom of the depth chart who are a long way from making the final roster, and the Cowboys can make easy decisions first.
In that vein, let’s look at three players the Dallas Cowboys could cut before week one.
#1 – LB Jaylen Smith
Jaylen Smith was rumored to be traded to the NFL most of the offseason, and his preseason performance seems to support that rumor. He was physically and mentally not seen in NFL preseason action.
His base salary for 2021 is already guaranteed, so the Dallas Cowboys are getting about $7 million in cap space by moving, but they could get something in return for the player. However, the longer they wait, the less valuable it becomes. Signing Novak Micah Parsons and free agent Keanu Neal are enough to fill Smith’s void.
#2 – QB Ben D’Nucci
The Dallas Cowboys still have four QBs and will have to cut at least one at some point. They may end up with only two QBs for the NFL season, but I’m DiNucci it’s cut anyway. Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush played well, while DiNocchi didn’t get either of them out. He threw three INTs against the Houston Texans. He started just one game with Dak outside of that year in 2020 and lost. The 3rd season preseason game could be Rush vs. Gilbert to see who is the QB2 for the Dallas Cowboys.
#3 – WR Osiris Mitchell
UDFA from Mississippi State survived the first round of cuts. Osiris Mitchell has two catches for 31 yards in three NFL preseason games and one zero catch in the first two games with just one target.
Mitchell could leave the practice squad as Cedric Wilson and Noah Brown gain traction as the fifth and sixth WR. Mitchell is still a fourth-tier player and a player who would be easy to cut or at least give up if the Dallas Cowboys see potential in the practice lineup.