The Cowboys have landed in a pretty useful middle ground when it comes to roster age. They’re young enough to avoid the “too old to grow” trap, but experienced enough not to be leaning on a bunch of rookies and first-year players.
On defense, Dallas checks in with an average age of 27.15 on its depth chart, according to @SFdata9ers on X. That puts the Cowboys 12th-youngest in the NFL on that side of the ball. Buffalo is the youngest defense in the league at 25.99, and it’s the only team with an average under 26.
The offense is in a similar spot. Dallas’ offensive depth chart averages out to 26.78 years old, which ranks 11th-youngest among NFL teams. Miami, Tennessee and Seattle are the only clubs under 26 on offense.
Taken together, those numbers paint the picture of a team that has managed to blend youth and veteran presence without tipping too far in either direction. The Cowboys aren’t among the league’s oldest teams by unit, and they’re not built like a pure youth movement either.
The full roster tells a slightly different story. Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice ran his annual post-cutdown-day numbers, and Dallas’ initial 53-man roster came in with an average age of 26.5, the 11th-oldest in the NFL.
Since cutdown day, the Cowboys have only made two roster moves: they added running back Emari Demercado and waived quarterback Joe Milton, who has since returned to the practice squad. Demercado is 27 and Milton is 26, so the average age has nudged upward a bit, though not enough to change the overall picture in any major way.
Dallas does have some age on the roster. The two oldest players are edge rusher Von Miller and punter Bryan Anger, both 37.
Anger will turn 38 on Oct. 6, which makes him the oldest player on the team right now. Miller won’t turn 38 until March of 2027.
At the other end of the spectrum, the youngest Cowboys are safety Caleb Downs and defensive lineman LT Overton, both 21 after being 2026 NFL Draft picks. Downs is actually a little younger than Overton, since he turns 22 in December while Overton turns 22 in October.
Overall, Dallas has nine players on its 53-man roster who are 30 or older, and 21 players who are 25 and under.
That’s the balancing act for any team: not too old, not too green. The Cowboys fit that description better than most.
Whether that age mix turns into something more in 2026 is a question that won’t get answered until they open the season against the New York Giants on Sunday, Sept. 13.
In Other News...
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Real Backup RB Battle Behind Javonte Williams
The Cowboys quietly added another layer to their backfield last week when they claimed Emari Demercado off waivers, giving the team a fresh name to consider behind Javonte Williams. For a roster that has been sorting through its running back depth, Demercados arrival brings some real competition into a spot that had been sitting with Malik Davis by default.
Demercado comes with more NFL experience and a style that could fit alongside what Dallas wants to do on offense, which is why this is becoming more than just a routine waiver claim. Davis still has the inside track for now, but the presence of a new challenger makes the backup job worth watching as the Cowboys try to settle their depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Davis Adds One Wrinkle To His Surprise Cowboys Rise
Malik Davis preseason became a small but notable storyline for the Cowboys, especially as the running back room kept shifting around him. With Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah both part of the roster conversation, Davis managed to secure the backup role behind Javonte Williams, giving Dallas a little more clarity in a spot that had looked unsettled not long ago.
The final wrinkle came after the preseason ended, when the NFL fined Davis $6,735 for unnecessary roughness because of illegal use of the helmet against the Arizona Cardinals. He was the only Cowboys player fined over that stretch, a reminder that even a rise up the depth chart can come with a little extra attention attached. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Head Into Week 1 With One Risk Fans Can't Ignore
The Cowboys spent much of their offseason making the kind of practical, cap-conscious moves that suggest a front office trying to balance the present with what comes next. Rather than chase more offensive line help for the 2026 season, Dallas is betting on internal growth, with Tyler Guyton among the players expected to take a step forward. The club also reworked the contracts of DaRon Bland and Jake Ferguson to open up space, a set of decisions that helped steady the ledger even as they carried their own questions.
For now, the reaction around those moves has been mostly positive, which says something about how far a little financial breathing room can go with this fan base. Still, the Cowboys are entering Week 1 with the same kind of risk that tends to linger beyond the numbers on a spreadsheet, especially when the plan depends on players developing on schedule and the lineup avoiding unnecessary setbacks. Malik Daviss preseason fine for illegal helmet use was a minor footnote, but it served as a reminder that the margin for error is already thin before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]