Blogging The Boys
Which receivers do you think the Cowboys carry on their 53-man roster?
Since the Dallas Cowboys traded for George Pickens a few weeks ago, the receiver position has dominated discussions around here. That addition crystallized the starters as Pickens and CeeDee Lamb but left a lot of questions down the rest of the depth chart. As we prepare for camp and preseason battles, how does the competition look at receiver?
Instead of competing for a starting job, Jonathan Mingo and Jalen Tolbert are now the favorites to be WR3. Lamb’s ability to play out of the slot allows one of these guys to join Pickens on the outside. Tolbert has one year left on his rookie deal and Mingo, originally drafted by Carolina in 2023, has two years left and was added by Dallas last year in a trade for a fourth-round pick. While the third receiver position should be a tight contest, both are strong candidates to make the roster.
While his offensive role is up in the air, and even stronger lock to make the 53 is KaVontae Turpin. Even if it’s just for special teams work alone, Turpin just got a three-year, $13.5 million extension from the Cowboys. However, the buzz this offseason is that they want him to become a more regular offensive presence, which means he is also a sleeper for those WR3 snaps. It points to more of a potential rotation at that spot, depending on matchups and situations where you may want Turpin’s speed over Mingo or Tolbert’s size.
So in terms of an actual roster bubble at WR, you could argue that Lamb, Pickens, and Turpin are the only ones above it. The loser of the Tolbert-Mingo battle would be looking at a potential fight depending on how prospects Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy have developed, plus what veteran free agent Parris Campbell offers. That’s five guys vying for what should only be two or three roster spots, depending on how deep Dallas chooses to go at WR this season.
Because we’re dealing with an almost entirely new offensive coaching staff, predicting how these different players will fare gets harder. On the one hand, you could argue it’s a negative for guys like Tolbert, Brooks, and Flournoy who were drafted by the previous regime. But while they may have a new OC and WR coach, Brian Schottenheimer has been on staff since 2022. So loyalty and personal investment aren’t entirely out the window, and having them with the head coach is better than most.
One thing that feels more certain is that it’s a tough spot for former and current undrafted free agents. Jalen Cropper has been trying to break through for two years but is arguably further from a roster spot now with the new arrivals. Rookies Traeshon Holden and Josh Kelly will hope to earn practice squad consideration but would need some pretty dramatic events to advance beyond that point. Nothing is impossible; a couple of injuries and strong performances...
