Jaydon Blue’s exit from Dallas was the kind of move that made sense only after the fact.
He had looked like the Cowboys’ third running back after a strong Week 2 performance, and when he sat out the third preseason game, it felt like a sign he’d made the 53-man roster and was being protected. But the bigger picture never fully lined up with that one hot stretch, and concerns about his attention to detail had been out there for a while.
Blue cleared waivers, then landed with the Philadelphia Eagles on their practice squad. He’s one of three running backs there, so the road to the active roster is a long one, and based on how his summer unfolded in Dallas, a promotion doesn’t look close.
He wasn’t the only former Cowboy to find a new home during roster cuts. Several other players who spent camp in Dallas have already been claimed or signed elsewhere.
Sam Williams is headed to the Cleveland Browns after going unclaimed. The former second-round pick flashed early in his career with 45 pressures and 8.5 sacks over his first two seasons, but a torn ACL wiped out his 2024 season, and last year he never really got rolling. Per PFF, he posted an 8.7 pass-rush win rate and 24 pressures on a career-high 270 pass-rush snaps.
Dallas brought him back in March with $2 million guaranteed, but his lack of versatility made him a shaky fit under Christian Parker. Williams had some moments in camp and the preseason, yet the consistency wasn’t there, and his tendency to get overeager still led to blown assignments. Cleveland, which needs pass rush help after trading Myles Garrett, is taking the shot.
Julius Wood also moved on, and this one stings a little more for Dallas. Wood played well enough to make the roster, but the Cowboys kept six safeties and chose special teams standouts Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark instead. The Miami Dolphins claimed Wood, giving him a real chance to contribute in a secondary that needs bodies.
Wood’s preseason numbers back up the eye test. Only Jaishawn Barham and Malachi Lawrence posted higher defensive grades than his 75.8, and they did it on far fewer snaps - 40 and 22 compared with Wood’s 104.
He kept the level up all summer and finished with an 81.4 PFF run-defense grade. His style is the kind of edge this defense has been missing, which makes Dallas’ decision look risky if Bell and Clark don’t justify the roster spot with special teams value.
Trevor Keegan also got claimed, with the Minnesota Vikings scooping him up after Dallas kept Ajani Cornelius over him and Nick Leverett. Leverett stayed in the organization on the practice squad, but Keegan was gone.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported that the Cowboys had "trade discussions" involving Keegan before waiving him, but no deal came together. Dallas did manage to trade Nate Thomas to Houston, just not Keegan.
The 26-year-old showed enough this preseason to make the decision interesting. He looked comfortable at left guard and center, with 126 snaps at guard and 32 at center, and he allowed only one pressure.
He didn’t give up a quarterback hit or a sack. If he had slipped through waivers, he would have been back on Dallas’ practice squad.
Trikweze Bridges is now with the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad after going unclaimed. That’s a notable turn for a player Dallas claimed off waivers just last year when the cornerback room was in bad shape. He ended up playing in 16 games and starting two, spending the entire season on the active roster.
This time around, the Cowboys were comfortable moving on. They kept Ameer Speed and Caelen Carson as their final two corners, with Carson standing out as one of the bigger surprises on the initial 53. Bridges would have been in that conversation too if he had survived.
Zion Childress, another defensive back who has already bounced around Dallas’ orbit, landed with the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad after being waived. He was an Oxnard standout as an undrafted rookie, then rejoined the Cowboys on the practice squad before the Texans signed him to their active roster off Dallas’ P-squad after he had appeared in two of the Cowboys’ first three games.
He was back with Dallas a month later and played in only one of the final 10 games of the 2025 season. Childress stuck around through the offseason, but with the safety room reloaded, he saw just 33 defensive snaps in the preseason and never had much of a shot at the 53-man roster.
In Other News...
Cowboys Just Opened The Door For Another Move Before Week 1
The Cowboys spent the lead-up to Week 1 doing more than tightening up the depth chart. By restructuring the contracts of Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland and Jake Ferguson, Dallas opened up more than $19 million in salary cap room, giving the front office a little more breathing room as the season gets underway. It also came on a day when the team leaned into its leadership structure, naming Dak Prescott, Quinnen Williams, Clark and Brandon Aubrey as captains for the 2026 season.
There are still a few moving parts worth watching. Joe Milton is back on the practice squad, adding another quarterback option in the background, and the Cowboys have continued to talk up Tyler Guytons progress at left tackle after his camp development. With cap space now available, the question is whether Dallas is simply banking flexibility for later or quietly positioning itself for another move before the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Camp Drama Just Exposed A Bigger NFL Problem
The Cowboys briefly stirred up training camp this week when they moved to restrict reporters from video recording team drills, only to reverse course after the decision drew public criticism. It was a short-lived policy, but it tapped into a growing leaguewide debate over how much access teams should allow when cameras are pointed at the practice field and how much competitive value can be squeezed from a few clips of offseason work.
Defensive coordinator Christian Parker said the concern was opponents using camp video to glean strategic clues, and that warning has plenty of backing around the NFL. Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley pointed to a game in which the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to use practice footage to anticipate pressures against his Green Bay Packers, and Jalen Hurts handled the blitz especially well in that matchup. For Dallas, the episode was less about optics than it was a reminder that in an information-driven league, even practice tape can become part of the chess match. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Final Roster Still Leaves One Worry Fans Can't Ignore
The Cowboys have finalized their 53-player roster and practice squad, and for once the overall picture looks a little sturdier than it has in recent years. There are reasons for optimism throughout the depth chart, from rookies such as Jaishawn Barham and Tyler Guyton who could help sooner rather than later, to the added competition that should push the roster in a better direction.
Even so, there is still a familiar thread of concern running through the preseason projections. Jake Ferguson is one name being watched closely, and the right tackle spot remains a talking point as the team tries to sort out whether the current answers are good enough. None of it is settled yet, of course, but the Cowboys have left themselves with one issue fans are likely to keep circling until the season starts answering it. [Read more 🡒]