Getty Mike McCarthy
The Dallas Cowboys scrapped Wednesday’s practice, per media reports, to begin reducing their 80-man roster to 53 ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
According to ESPN and the Dallas Morning News, three players were among the first wave of cuts: quarterback Clayton Thorson, wide receiver Devin Smith, and offensive lineman Adam Redmond.
Thorson spent the entire 2019 campaign on the Cowboys’ practice squad after joining the team on Sept. 1. He was chosen in the fifth round of last year’s NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Northwestern product signed a reserve/futures contract in January.
Dallas is expected to carry two QBs — Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton — on the regular-season squad. If they roster a third, it’ll be seventh-round rookie Ben DiNucci, a favorite of head coach Mike McCarthy.
A former second-round pick of the New York Jets, Smith appeared in four games for the Cowboys last season, logging five receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. A majority of those yards (74) and his lone score came in the club’s Week 2 trouncing of the Washington Redskins.
Let us never forget the week 2 rope Dak threw to Devin Smith:
The Cowboys are likely to keep five WRs, all of whom essentially are entrenched on the depth chart. Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson, and Noah Brown will be catching passes from Prescott in 2020.
“I think there’s a group there of, you know, Noah Brown’s really done a great job,” VP Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “He’s shown up, I don’t know how much y’all have been in practice. He’s showed up big time. Ced Wilson showed up. Those guys probably at the end of the day have really separated themselves as the next tier.”
Redmond, a 2016 undrafted free agent whom the Cowboys picked up in 2018, simply fell behind others in a log-jammed OL room. The club’s starters, from left to right, are Tyron Smith, Connor Williams, Joe Looney, Zack Martin, and La’El Collins.
The direct backups could be Tyler Biadasz, Cam Erving, Mitch Hyatt, Brandon Knight, and Connor McGovern, depending on how many linemen they retain.
Dallas has until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to finalize its squad for its Week 1 road contest against the Los Angeles Rams.
“We are in personnel meetings. We started last night,” McCarthy told reporters Wednesday. “We had a long session with everybody — Jerry and Stephen (Jones) and so forth.”
Follow the Heavy on Cowboys Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!