> The preseason is officially over. Over the next few days, the Dallas Cowboys will work tirelessly to figure out the players that will make up their 53-man roster for the 2025 season. Now, initially, things might look a little off as there will be some “roster gymnastics” to move injured players to IR, so expect things to change over the course of the week. The team will also look at players on other rosters as they continue to search for depth at key positions, so expect some new faces to join the team as well as the Cowboys exchange surplus for shortages via last-minute trades. Here is our best guess at the Cowboys roster and practice squad candidates.
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> **QUARTERBACK (2)**
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> **Dak Prescott**
> **Joe Milton**
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> _Practice squad:_ _Will Grier (veteran)_
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> It was nice to see second-year player Joe Milton end the preseason on a high note. He’s clearly the team’s ride-or-die backup quarterback. The team may choose to carry three quarterbacks if they want to keep Will Grier, but with roster spots limited, sticking with only two seems more reasonable.
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> **RUNNING BACK (4)**
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> **Javonte Williams**
> **Jaydon Blue**
> **Hunter Luepke**
> **Phil Mafah**
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> _Practice squad:_ _Miles Sanders (veteran)_
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> It’s difficult to figure out what the Cowboys might do here. Miles Sanders seems like a favorite to land the final spot in the running back room, but it would make more sense to keep the rookie, Phil Mafah. If they feel like Mafah isn’t likely to be poached from the practice squad, then keeping Sanders could be the direction they go. With the speed/power variety that the two rookies, Jaydon Blue and Mafah, offer, retaining both would make a lot of sense, especially since they come with four years of control at a low cost.
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> **TIGHT END (3)**
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> **Jake Ferguson**
> **Luke Schoonmaker**
> **Brevyn Spann-Ford**
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> _Practice squad:_ _John Stephens Jr. and Princeton Fant_
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> This one hasn’t changed all month. Three players make up the core of the tight end room, while a slew of undrafted free agents just wait patiently by the wayside. We could see a surprise here if one of the UDFA guys sneaks on the team, but for the most part, this feels relatively safe.
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> **WIDE RECEIVER (5)**
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> **CeeDee Lamb**
> **George Pickens**
> **KaVontae Turpin**
> **Jalen Tolbert**
> **Ryan Flournoy**
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> _Practice squad:_ _Jalen Brooks and Traeshon Holden_
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> Jonathan Mingo’s injury has opened up an opportunity for one of the bottom-roster receivers to sneak onto the team. Choosing between Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy is extremely difficult, as both players bring a lot of fight and contribute on special teams. A recent surge combined with an extra year of team control is why the second-year player, Flournoy, gets the nod, but honestly, it could go either way.