The Cowboys are down to the part of camp where every rep starts feeling like a verdict.
Dallas wrapped its final training camp practice Wednesday night, its second session back from Oxnard, and now the preseason finish line is in sight. The last tune-up comes Friday against the New Orleans Saints, and once that’s over, the Cowboys will have Saturday and part of Sunday to sort out the roster before cutdown day on Aug. 30.
Some of those calls are already starting to take shape. Others are going to be painful.
At quarterback, the battle between Joe Milton and Cooper Rush has become one of the more intriguing decisions on the board. Rush brings the experience and was steadier over the course of camp, but Milton has flashed more upside and has clearly outplayed him through two preseason games.
If the decision had to be made today, Milton would probably have the edge. Friday could still swing it.
Wide receiver brings another tricky squeeze. Jonathan Mingo has been more disappointing in his career overall, but he has the experience edge over Traeshon Brown, and his camp and preseason have both been strong.
Mingo also has the weight of Dallas’ investment behind him after that head-scratching trade with the Carolina Panthers in 2024, and the Cowboys appear inclined to give him another year. The problem is the math: with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin already in the mix, Dallas doesn’t need six receivers.
Brown has also looked good enough that he’d likely get claimed if the Cowboys try to sneak him through waivers. Still, the projection here is that Dallas keeps six.
Tight end is just as awkward. Jake Schoonmaker has spent much of the offseason as a cut candidate, but it’s hard to picture the Cowboys carrying a raw player like Clay Trigg as the third option.
Trigg’s upside as a playmaker could make him attractive to other teams, which means Dallas may not be able to stash the Baylor product on the practice squad if he gets released. Even so, with six receivers likely making the team, keeping four tight ends doesn’t look realistic.
The safer bet is that the Cowboys cut Trigg and take their chances.
The edge-rusher group has its own logjam. Dallas has four players locked in at the position with Rashan Gary, Von Miller, Donovan Ezieruaku and Malachi Lawrence.
Last year, the Cowboys carried six edge rushers on the initial 53, so there’s room for two more from the next tier. The issue is that nobody in that group has really separated.
Chauncey Williams and K.J. Houston have the benefit of position experience, while Marist Liufau’s inside-outside flexibility could appeal to Christian Parker.
If Dallas takes two, Williams and Houston are the picks. If only one gets through, Williams gets the nod, though that one feels close.
Then there’s the safety picture, where special teams could end up deciding everything. Markquese Bell got a strong endorsement from head coach Brian Schottenheimer because of what he brings on special teams, and that alone makes him look like a strong bet to survive the cut.
"Markquese Bell is one of our most trusted leaders on the special teams. He's a really good football player.
He's a good defensive player. I think he's a great special teams player," Schotty said.
But Bell hasn’t exactly stolen the show, and both Wood and Clark have had more noticeable moments across camp and the preseason. The complication is the crowd around them: Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker, Caleb Downs and P.J.
Locke are already in the picture, which means only one of this group may end up sticking. Even with the competition, Bell is the call here after Schottenheimer’s praise.
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