COWBOYS ROSTER CUTS

Key players are gone but not forgotten
Roster manipulation protects young players; veterans will be back

The Cowboys put together a roster that features one quarterback with no kicker or deep snapper.

What can be dismissed as remarkably shortsighted at first glance is actually shrewd.

The club announced its 53-man roster Tuesday afternoon. Consider it a starting point, not a binding document. The Cowboys leveraged a distinction in the status between players who are waived/released to give them the latitude to make necessary moves in the coming days and once again underscored their commitment to draft and develop.

There are 29 players on this roster — that’s 54.7% for the statistically impaired or indifferent — who have been in the NFL for two full seasons or less. All but one member of the last two drafts classes made this initial roster. The exception is fifth-round pick Damone Clark, who landed on the reserve/non-football injury list after undergoing spinal fusion surgery to correct a herniated disk earlier this year.

Four undrafted players — safety Markquese Bell, tight end Peyton Hendershot, receiver Dennis Houston and KaVontae Turpin, the Most Valuable Player of the United States Football League — also secured spots.

The Cowboys were able to swell the list of young players because of a procedural point. Any player who has accrued three or fewer seasons in the league must clear waivers before he can rejoin the team’s practice squad. A player that has accrued four or more seasons isn’t subject to waivers and is free to sign where he wants.

Backup quarterback Cooper Rush, kicker Brett Maher, long snapper Jake McQuaide and special teams ace C.J. Goodwin all fall into this category. Can they sign with other teams?

Sure. There’s an element of risk, but it’s slight. All know they have a spot and a role waiting for them in Dallas.

The recent expansion of the practice squad from 10 to 16 players has also had a dramatic impact on how rosters are built.

Ten spots are reserved for players in their first or second season. That leaves up to six spots that can go to a veteran player without limitation. A player can be elevated to the active roster three times for a game before he must be added to the 53-man roster.

Let’s use Maher as an example. Once he returns to the Cowboys, as expected, he can reside on the practice squad for the first three weeks of the season and be called up for each of those games. He wouldn’t need to be added to the 53-man roster until the team faces Washington on Oct. 2.

The Cowboys can do the same at quarterback early in the season if they choose.

Structuring a roster without a backup quarterback or two specialists is surprising if you don’t take this into account. If you do…

Well, the Cowboys just bought themselves some time.

In that context, the only move that might qualify as a mild surprise was the release of Carlos Watkins. The veteran defensive tackle started 14 games for the Cowboys last season.

But it was clear in camp that a couple of second-year players, Quinton Bohanna and Osa Odighizuwa, were ahead of Watkins. The same goes for Neville Gallimore. Keeping Watkins would have meant that rookie John Ridgeway didn’t make the initial roster.

Again, draft and develop.

Another striking element of this roster composition is the breakdown between the offensive and defensive side of the ball. A roster that usually tips to offense retained 28 players on defense to 24 on offense. That imbalance will become even more pronounced when the club places left tackle Tyron Smith and receiver James Washington on injured reserve in the coming hours.

Will that remain in place? No. The Cowboys must have more numbers on offense and still have a critical need at offensive tackle. The team’s defensive surplus can be used to address that deficiency.

The first draft of the Cowboys roster is in place.

It’s far from done.

Catch David Moore on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) with the Musers at 9:35 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and The Hardline every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:35 p.m. during Cowboys season.

Twitter: @ DavidMooreDMN