Cowboys release Alec Lindstrom, Ben Banogu, Seth Green ahead of NFL roster deadline

The Dallas Cowboys released three players on Monday ahead of the NFL’s roster deadline Tuesday. According to Dallas Morning News‘ Michael Gehlken, center Alec Lindstrom, defensive end Ben Banogu and tight end Seth Green all received notice of their release after the final preseason game versus Las Vegas.

Lindstrom was a practice squad member for Dallas in 2022 and could re-join the team via the practice squad later this week – or sign elsewhere.

Banogu, who spent the last four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, is coming off a 2022 season with 16 games played and 10 tackles. He was a second-round selection by the Colts in 2019. He went No. 49 overall after a standout collegiate career at TCU.

Although he played in just nine games in both 2020 and 2021, Banogu started his career off well in Indianapolis. He had 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble as a rookie.

Former Houston Cougars tight end Seth Green signed a futures/reserve contract with Dallas following the 2022 season. He spent time on the practice squad in 2022 as well. In preseason appearnces this summer, Green posted one catch for eight yards.

The young tight end ended his collegiate career with Houston but began with Minnesota. In his final collegiate season, he had 13 catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns.

Cowboys whittle down roster

Ahead of the roster deadline this week, the Cowboys traded with the San Francisco 49ers for third-string quarterback Trey Lance. The Cowboys acquired the 2021 No. 3 overall pick from the 49ers for a future fourth-round pick.

With Lance inking with Dallas, the Cowboys decided to release Will Grier, bringing the QB room back down to three players.

The franchise has numerous difficult decisions to make before the 4 p.m. ET deadline. Already down to 80, however, there aren’t too many left.

Coach Mike McCarthy shared on Monday that the team believes offensive lineman Josh Ball suffered a “significant” injury versus the Raiders this weekend.

His injury, currently unspecified, could either make the Cowboys’ upcoming roster decision easier or harder. McCarthy said they expect Ball to miss “multiple” weeks.

Dallas could keep Ball on the 53-man roster until Wednesday, and then move him to the Injured Reserve where he’d have to stay for the first four weeks. Or, the team could put him on IR before the deadline, effectively ending his 2023 season.

Dallas begins the 2023 regular season with a road game versus the New York Giants on Sept. 10. The team went 1-2 during the preseason with a win versus Las Vegas and losses against Seattle and Jacksonville.