The Cowboys have finished their 2026 preseason, and the real deadline is now staring them in the face: rosters must be trimmed from 90 players to 53 by 6:00 PM ET on Sunday evening.
That leaves a few players with momentum after Week 3, a few others hanging on by a thread, and a final preseason game that clarified some things more than it changed them.
Jonathan Mingo didn’t even suit up, and that was its own kind of statement. The Cowboys clearly didn’t want to risk him in a game that didn’t matter much on the scoreboard, and it sure looks like he’s already got a spot locked in.
Camden Brown, his main competition, stayed on the field into the second quarter and hurt himself with a key drop on a routine play. Brown still has a shot, but Mingo looks like a safe bet to be on this team in 2026.
Jordan Hudson, meanwhile, saved his best work for the end. He caught a 52-yard strike from Sam Howell, then followed it up on the very next play with a touchdown grab on a clean route to the back pylon.
That gave Hudson his two best moments of the preseason in rapid-fire fashion. He also added a tackle on the kickoff unit right after the score.
It’s too late for him to force his way onto the 53-man roster, but the Cowboys may have found enough to keep him in the mix for the practice squad, and his night should draw some attention around the league.
Not everyone helped themselves.
Michael Trigg fought through a toe injury, but the night went sideways fast. On Dallas’ first drive, Joe Milton fired a pass that hit Trigg in both hands, only for Terrell Burgess to punch it loose and kill the series.
Later, on the final drive of the half, Milton found Trigg again on a broken play, and the former Baylor tight end still couldn’t finish a pass that should have been routine. For a player battling for a roster spot, that was the kind of half that can sink your chances.
At this point, he looks headed for the practice squad.
Caelen Carson didn’t do himself any favors either. The Cowboys are still looking for another workable corner behind Daron Bland, Shavon Revel, and Cobie Durant, but that answer hasn’t shown up after three preseason games.
Devin Moore still looks raw, and Carson hasn’t really taken a step forward. Against the Saints, he drew an illegal contact penalty on a key third down, then got stuck on a block one snap later as a touchdown run went through.
He has talent, but he does not look ready to be Dallas’ No. 4 cornerback. The expectation is that the Cowboys waive the former fifth-round pick and hope to get him back on the practice squad.
Sam Williams also landed on the wrong side of the ledger. The biggest concern wasn’t just that he was still out there late in the second half - it was that he was having trouble when he was on the field.
Williams struggled against the run and missed two tackles that turned into big gains. He did come through with a sack in the fourth quarter to get the Cowboys off the field, but it came against a practice squad-caliber offensive tackle and well after the damage had been done.
Williams is still a gifted athlete, but the development just hasn’t come fast enough. Dallas could decide to move on this weekend.
The quarterback picture also remains unsettled, even if the final preseason game gave the Cowboys one more reason to think about it. Sam Howell turned in a strong second-half showing against the Saints, capped by two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
He hasn’t delivered as many “WOW” plays as Milton, but he has been steady, kept the offense moving, and never looked overmatched. The expectation is that all three quarterbacks make the roster, but Howell has made a real case to be QB2 when the dust settles.
In Other News...
Cowboys Receiver Battle Just Claimed A Familiar Name
The Cowboys receiver competition thinned a little more as final roster cuts came down, and Denzel Mims was among the names squeezed out to get Dallas to the 53-man limit. Mims had only been with the team since mid-July, giving him a brief late-summer look before the decision arrived ahead of the regular season.
It was another reminder of how crowded the room has become and how little margin there is for a veteran trying to carve out a role. Mims arrived with some NFL history after three seasons with the Jets, but he has not appeared in a regular-season game since 2022, leaving his next opportunity very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Sam Howell Just Made The Cowboys Final Cuts A Lot Tougher
Sam Howell gave the Cowboys something useful to think about in the preseason finale, and not just because of the numbers. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, helping fuel a fourth-quarter comeback in a game Dallas still lost. In a roster battle that was already crowded, a performance like that can matter, especially for a player trying to turn a strong night into a stronger case for the 53-man roster.
The ripple effect reaches beyond Howell, because every good showing and every healthy return changes the math for the players on the bubble. Camden Brown, Alijah Clark, Sam Williams and Derion Kendrick are all part of that conversation, with recent performances and injuries shaping how tight the cut decisions could be. For Dallas, the final evaluation period suddenly looks a lot trickier than it did before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Just Got A Telling Chance To Fix A Thin LB Room
The Cowboys came out of preseason with a clearer picture of where the roster is sturdy and where it still looks exposed, and linebacker remains one of the spots worth watching. Jaishawn Barham has shown enough promise to make the conversation more interesting, but Dallas still has a thin group there and could use a proven piece to stabilize things behind him.
Tyrel Dodson suddenly fits that need after being released by the Dolphins and becoming available as a free agent. He brings veteran experience and a strong 2025 season to the table, which is exactly the kind of profile Dallas can lean on if it wants more certainty in a room that still feels short on it. [Read more 🡒]