Calculating just how good the depth is on the Cowboys roster

In 2025, the presumptive starting five Cowboys offensive linemen (Tyler Guyton – Tyler Smith – Cooper Beebe – Tyler Booker – Terence Steele) only played together on a grand total of 275 snaps out of a possible 1,186, the lowest level since at least 2021. Injuries to their starters forced the Cowboys into an uncommonly high amount of personnel changes along the offensive line, leaving them with one of the least stable lines in the NFL and severely testing their roster depth.

The Cowboys started the season with 11 offensive linemen on their roster. By the end of the season, 9 of those players had started at least one game and 10 had seen playing time. It’s in such situations that roster depth comes into sharp focus.

Strong rosters have “two-deep” depth (capable starters and reliable backups) at premium positions, while weaker units suffer steep drop-offs after the #1 player. Over the course of a season, that roster depth is inevitably tested, and perhaps tested more than many fans realize.

Here’s a little quiz, adapted from a 19-year old article at NFL.com, that helps understand just how much roster depth is tested over the course of a season.

1. How many quarterbacks have had at least 30 pass attempts in NFL games last year?

• A. 52
• B. 57
• C. 62
• D. 67

2. How many running backs had at least 10 carries last season?

• A. 93
• B. 103
• C. 113
• D. 123

3. How many tight ends caught at least one pass in 2025?

• A. 82
• B. 102
• C. 122
• D. 142

4. How many wide receivers saw at least 10 targets over the course of the last season?

• A. 127
• B. 147
• C. 167
• D. 187

Quiz answers

This quiz was of course designed to make a point about roster depth, but if you answered “C” on every question, you got all four questions right. The numbers are significant because they give you an idea of how much roster depth is tested over the course of a season for all 32 teams.

• 62 quarterbacks across 32 teams means your No. 2 QB will almost certainly have to play at least one game this year. Can that guy win that game for you?
• 113 running backs or fullbacks carried the ball at least ten times. That’s 3.5 RBs per NFL team, which means some teams will likely be down to their fourth-string RB on occasion – if they even have a fourth guy on their roster – and that fourth guy better be up to the task.
• 122 tight ends is close to every team throwing to a fourth-string tight end.
• 177 wide receivers means, on average, teams went all the way down to their fifth wide receiver.

There is no way to answer the question of roster depth quantitatively. There simply are no...