The Dallas Cowboys must trim their roster to 53 players before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. The preseason finale provided a lot of clarity in that regard, but Trevon Diggs passing his physical could force the coaching staff to go long at cornerback and short at another position.
While Dallas likely won't announce its most difficult cuts until Tuesday, they got a head start slashing the roster about 24 hours before the deadline.
The team announced it has waived guard Nick Broeker, defensive tackle Denzel Dazon, wide receiver Josh Kelly, cornerback Troy Pride, and tight ends Tyler Neville and John Stephens Jr. Pride is the lone surprise in that group, and his departure likely confirms that Andrew Booth is safe.
Cowboys are likely keeping CB Andrew Booth after first wave of cuts
Pride was among several players battling for one of the outside cornerback spots. He was arguably Dallas' best CBs in the preseason, but it never felt like he had a leg up on Booth, whom the Cowboys acquired in a trade last August and went on to appear in seven games last season.
Booth was shockingly a healthy scratch for the final preseason game, while Pride logged a whopping 43 snaps. That was the fourth-most at the position behind Israel Mukuamu (49 snaps), Michael Ojemudia (45 snaps) and Robert Rochell (44 snaps). That showed where Pride stood in the pecking order.
Booth's security has been tough for Cowboys fans to reckon with given how he performed last season. His 28.7 coverage grade ranked 219th out of 222 cornerbacks, per PFF. He allowed 13 catches on 17 targets for 222 yards (17.2 yards per catch) and two touchdowns, equating to a 157.1 passer rating allowed. Only three CBs allowed a worse passer rating when targeted.
While Dallas isn't flush with cornerback talent - that's an understatement - the coaching staff's treatment of Booth in the preseason was shocking, to say the least. He recorded a pick-six in Week 2 against the Ravens, but he allowed a 39-yard completion in the first game.
Maybe Booth isn't around for the long haul, but Diggs' status for Week 1 is still a question mark. If he doesn't play, fans should expect Booth to see significant playing time against the Eagles. You have to think Philly will look to pick on him if that's the case.
More Cowboys News and Analysis