Getty RB JaQuan Hardy
And we’re off.
One day removed from their preseason finale and hours before the final NFL cutdown deadline, the Dallas Cowboys began the process of forming their 53-man regular-season roster.
According to beat reporter Michael Gehlken, the club on Monday evening waived safety Steven Parker, the first of many to draw pink slips prior to Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT deadline.
“These are the worst days,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Sunday, via the Dallas Morning News. “The next 48 hours is clearly the worst part of the job.”
The next wave — 13 transactions in total, and counting — came Monday morning.
Below is a live-updated, running tally of the Cowboys’ 53-man roster cuts, per media reports.
- QB Ben DiNucci
- QB Garrett Gilbert
- RB JaQuan Hardy
- RB Brenden Knox
- WR Brandon Smith
- WR Johnnie Dixon
- WR Osirus Mitchell
- TE Artayvious Lynn
- OT Eric Smith
- C Braylon Jones
- DE Ron’Dell Carter
- DE Austin Faoliu
- S Darian Thompson
- S Tyler Coyle
- S Steven Parker
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Jones Hints at RB Trade
In a Monday interview with 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones revealed an open line of “communication” with potential (and undefined) league trade partners, teasing that the club may be seeking running back and tight end help.
“We got great communication going on out there with all the teams,” Jones said, adding, “Losing Rico Dowdle was a tough one for us. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look and see well they might need a third running back. You lose Sean McKeon, our third tight end… In general, that’s how those conversations go.”
While Dallas could opt to carry just two RBs on the 53 — Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard — the departures of Knox and Hardy and the loss of Rico Dowdle, who’s out for the season with a hip injury, leaves them perilously thin in the backfield.
It’s possible, if not probable, that one of Knox and Hardy returns via the practice squad.
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Dallas Dangling OT, DE?
On Monday, Jeff Cavanaugh of 105.3 The Fan reported the Cowboys have made backup offensive tackle Brandon Knight and sophomore defensive end Bradlee Anae available for trade — and could move them “in the next 24 hours.”
“If the Cowboys can find a taker you might hear trades of Brandon Knight/Bradlee Anae per none of your damn business but that’s what I hear,” Cavanaugh tweeted.
Knight currently is the third-string left tackle behind Tyron Smith and Ty Nsekhe. He started nine games for Dallas last year as injuries ravaged the offensive line.
Anae, a 2020 fifth-round draft pick, received starter’s reps this preseason with DeMarcus Lawrence returning from the Physically Unable to Perform list and rookie Chauncey Golston sidelined by a hamstring issue that is expected to land him on short-term injured reserve.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL