The Cowboys’ Most Surprising 53-Man Roster Decisions

Despite his strong preseason, Dallas chose veteran Malik Davis over Blue for the 53-man roster, making Davis the primary backup to Javonte Williams.

The Cowboys later signed Emari Demercado, adding another running back to the room and giving Dallas a third option behind Williams and Davis. Demercado also has ties to offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, which could have played a role in Dallas bringing him in.

While Blue appeared to do enough to earn another opportunity, the Cowboys ultimately went in a different direction.

The Cowboys Are Putting a Lot of Trust in Caleb Downs at Nickel

Dallas is currently putting all its eggs in Caleb Downs’ basket after listing him as the only nickelback corner on its roster.

Downs’ talent is immense, but is Dallas relying on him too much? If he gets injured this season, the Cowboys will have nobody with experience to replace him.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/2026749037744152619?s=20

Many fans and analysts expected Dallas to keep either Derion Kendrick or Reddy Steward. Both have shown they can be effective nickelbacks against the run and in coverage. On a more positive note, both players were signed back to the practice squad after clearing waivers.

Instead, Dallas opted to keep cornerback Ameer Speed, which came as a bit of a surprise. Speed has bounced around the league and hasn’t shown that he can be an effective contributor anywhere outside of special teams.

This could be Dallas’ attempt to replace longtime special teams ace C.J. Goodwin. During Goodwin’s eight seasons with the Cowboys, he was the epitome of consistency. He logged 2,211 team snaps, the most in team history, and became the first Cowboy to lead the team in special teams tackles for three consecutive seasons from 2021-23.

Julius Wood Did Everything Right and Still Got Cut

Even though Dallas kept six safeties on its roster, preseason standout Julius Wood was not one of them.

After the final preseason game, Wood seemed like a lock to make the roster. No matter where the ball was on the field, Wood always seemed to be around the play.

Ultimately, Dallas went with safeties Alijah Clark and Markquese Bell over Wood. The decision shows Dallas’ commitment to keeping players who can also make an impact on special teams.

“I’ll speak to this young man, Markquese Bell,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s one of our most trusted leaders on the special teams. He’s a really good football player. He’s a really good defensive player. I think he’s a great special teams player… And there’s guys like that; they play like eight, nine, 10, 11 years sometimes because they have a trait that is needed…”

Time and time again, Bell has proven he can be a valuable part of the team on special teams. During the 2025 season, Bell logged 304 special teams snaps, ranking third on the Cowboys. He was behind only Goodwin (388) and Marist Liufau (361).

Despite the talent Wood showed during his second preseason stint with the Cowboys, Schottenheimer ultimately stuck to his guns and chose Clark and Bell as the final two safeties.

Tyrus Wheat Won a Spot Nobody Expected Him to Win

During the 2026 offseason, the battle for the final edge rusher spot appeared to come down to Marist Liufau and Sam Williams. But after Liufau suffered a fracture in his left forearm, Williams appeared almost guaranteed to earn the final spot.

Instead, Dallas went with outside linebacker Tyrus Wheat and placed Liufau on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least the first four games of the season.

This is Wheat’s second stint with the Cowboys after spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the team. During that time, he played in 20 games and recorded 17 tackles and one tackle for loss.

Wheat hasn’t shown much as a rotational edge rusher, which makes the decision even more confusing. However, after a decent preseason that featured an impressive sack against the Saints, perhaps Dallas sees something they can unlock in Wheat the second time around.

Only Four Linebackers Is a Dangerous Gamble for Dallas

Even after everything the team has dealt with at middle linebacker, you would think Dallas would want plenty of depth at the position. Instead, the Cowboys went with only four inside linebackers.

DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters are the expected starters, with Jaishawn Barham and Shemar James serving as the backups.

Overshown has already dealt with major injuries during his young career, including ACL tears in both knees. The other three linebackers have also dealt with injuries at some point.

With only four linebackers on the roster, Dallas cannot afford to have injuries pile up at the position.

But those weren’t the only four talented linebackers available. Justin Barron showed tremendous instincts and improvement throughout training camp and the preseason, which makes this move that much harder to understand.

Barron did get signed back to the practice squad, so there’s still hope he can get an opportunity later in the season.

Dallas Chose Trust and Versatility Over Raw Talent

A clear pattern runs through each of these decisions. Dallas prioritized special teams value, veteran familiarity, and positional flexibility over raw preseason performance.

Players like Bell, Davis, and Speed earned their spots not because they were the most talented options available, but because the coaching staff trusted what they would bring on game day beyond just their primary position.

Whether that philosophy holds up over a 17-game season will determine if these gambles were calculated or costly.