The final date for NFL teams to trim their rosters down to 53 men is this Saturday, September 5 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. The Dallas Cowboys have already begun making the hard decisions and thinning out the squad, as they released seven players Wednesday.
All of the cuts came on the offensive side of the ball. The 24-hour rule is not in effect for waiver regulations when it comes to final roster cuts. All players released over the next few days will clear waivers on Sunday and will then be eligible for the revised practice squad rules. In 2020, teams can have 16-man practice squads. Two players per week can be promoted to the active roster, four players per week can be protected from other teams poaching and up to six players with unlimited accrued seasons (veterans) can be on the squad.
Devin Smith
Perhaps the most notable of the releases is Smith. The former Buckeye appeared in the first four games of the 2019 season for the Cowboys, andeven caught a 51-yard touchdown from Dak Prescott in week 2 against division rivals Washington.
This minor success a year ago led many to believe Smith would have a roster spot as either the fourth or fifth wide receiver, but players like Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown had excellent training camp performances and left Smith as the odd man out.
Adam Redmond
Despite appearing in 10 games two seasons ago, the Cowboys didn’t have room for a third center in Redmond. Redmond is another player who had appeared on some final roster projections, but his release shows the confidence the Cowboys have in Joe Looney, Tyler Biadasz, and even Connor McGovern should Dallas need an emergency backup at the position. The Harvard graduate is another strong candidate for the practice squad.
Clayton Thorson
The least surprising of the three Wednesday cuts is Thorson. Thorson never made it pas the Cowboys practice squad in his lone year in Dallas. Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton are set in stone at the position. Rookie Ben DiNucci is now in line to be the third Cowboys quarterback should they choose to keep that many.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the club also released offensive tackles Pace Murphy, Mitch Hyatt and Wyatt Miller – the latter two waived injured. The team also parted with UDFA Charlie Taumoepeau.
[vertical-gallery id=653320][vertical-gallery id=653101][lawrence-newsletter]