The Cowboys had to make their own roster cuts this weekend, but that didn’t stop them from scanning the league for possible upgrades after the 53-man deadline. With waivers in play until 1:00 p.m. EST, Dallas has a window to pick through some fresh names who could help right away, and a few released players line up with obvious needs.
One spot that stands out is nose tackle. Dallas has enough talent up front, but the interior depth could use another body who can handle the run and eat space.
McKinnley Jackson fits that profile. The Bengals moved on from the 2024 third-round pick, who logged only 129 snaps last season but posted a 63.8 run defense grade.
At 6-foot-2 and 325 pounds, he brings the kind of size the Cowboys could use behind their starters.
Linebacker is another area where Dallas could look for a steadier hand, and Tyrel Dodson checks a lot of boxes. Because he’s a vested veteran, he became an unrestricted free agent as soon as Miami let him go, so no claim is needed.
The Cowboys have confidence in DeMarvion Overshown, Dee Winters, and Jaishawn Barham, but there are real question marks around all three. Overshown has had durability concerns, Winters has only one season as a starter, and Barham, a rookie, showed in the preseason finale that he can get too aggressive.
Dodson wouldn’t bring flash, but he would bring experience and consistency.
If Dallas wants another linebacker with upside, Taurean York is a name to know. The Texas A&M product went undrafted, largely because of his size, at 5-foot-11 and 226 pounds.
He had trouble taking on blockers in college, but he also piled up 229 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in three seasons with the Aggies. That kind of football IQ is exactly the sort of thing defensive coordinator Christian Parker tends to value.
Running back may be the most obvious place where the Cowboys are suddenly thin. After waiving Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, they’re down to two running backs and one fullback.
Javonte Williams is the lead option, Malik Davis showed he can handle the RB2 role last season, and Hunter Luepke could see more work. Even so, the position looks vulnerable, and Frank Gore Jr. makes sense as a possible addition.
He’s put together back-to-back strong preseasons, but Buffalo’s depth has kept him off the 53-man roster. He could compete with Davis for the backup job and give Dallas a layer of injury insurance.
Then there’s the offensive line, where the Cowboys may be tempted by another reclamation project. Former seventh-overall pick Evan Neal is available after the Giants cut him on Sunday.
Dallas has already shown a willingness to bet on former first-round talent, as seen with Broderick Jones, and Neal fits that mold. He never matched expectations in New York, shifted to guard in 2025, then spent the season on IR after a hamstring injury.
He returned on a one-year deal, but the new staff under John Harbaugh couldn’t get him over the hump. Even with Jones in the mix, the Cowboys still have issues at tackle, especially with Terence Steele.
Neal posted an 80.8 PFF grade as an elite run blocker in 2024, and Klayton Adams’ reputation as an offensive line coach could make Dallas an appealing landing spot. At the least, Neal would add competition and push Steele and Jones for the right tackle job.
In Other News...
Cowboys Lost Another Young Defensive Back They Wanted To Keep
The Cowboys first round of roster cuts came with the kind of churn that always makes these final days of August feel personal, and safety Julius Wood was one of the tougher names to see go. Dallas released several players in trimming to its initial 53-man roster, and Wood, who had flashed in the preseason and early in camp, was beaten out by Alijah Clark for one of the spots in the secondary.
Brian Schottenheimer acknowledged the human side of those decisions, which is part of what made Woods exit land harder inside the building. The Cowboys clearly saw enough in the young defensive back to want him around, but after clearing waivers he did not stay available long, as Miami stepped in and claimed him, leaving Dallas to keep sorting through the fallout of another promising defender slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Give Up On A QB They Just Spent A Year Developing
The Cowboys made a notable roster shuffle by claiming running back Emari Demercado off waivers and, in the process, moving on from quarterback Joe Milton. Milton had spent the past year in Dallas and showed improvement during the preseason, but the club still chose to waive him even though he remains under his rookie contract for two more seasons.
Sam Howell now stands as the clear backup behind Dak Prescott for the 2026 season, giving the Cowboys a much different look in the quarterback room than they seemed poised to have when Milton arrived. If Milton clears waivers, Dallas could still keep him around on the practice squad, but for now the move suggests the team has settled on its next layer of QB depth. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cowboys Bust Might Get One More Chance To Revive His Career
As the Chargers move toward finalizing their 53-man roster, the next round of roster churn could create another landing spot for a former Cowboys first-round pick who has already changed teams once this season. Mazi Smith was recently released by the Jets, and if he clears waivers, he could surface as a practice-squad option for Los Angeles as it sorts through the final pieces of its roster.
For Dallas fans, it is another reminder of how quickly a once-promising path can turn into a search for stability. Smith has already been through a difficult start to his NFL career, but a reunion with Chargers personnel familiar with his development could give him a better runway than he has had elsewhere, even if the next step remains uncertain. [Read more 🡒]