Getty Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones
The Dallas Cowboys began the long process of trimming their roster down to what will eventually be 53 players heading into Week 1. The Cowboys released former Texas receiver Brennan Eagles, cornerback Kyron Brown and rookie linebacker Anthony Hines.
Dallas also placed starting fullback Sewo Olonilua and rookie cornerback Reggie Robinson on injured reserve. Both players will miss the entire 2020 season. After the Hall of Fame Game, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy lamented Olonilua’s injury while emphasizing the role the fullback plays in his offense. Olonilua was the team’s projected starting fullback prior to sustaining a season-ending neck injury.
Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken previously reported Olonilua would be “out for a while” with a neck injury. We now know this will be for all of 2021 as NFL rules dictate a player cannot be pulled off the injured reserve list mid-season.
“Cowboys FB Sewo Olonilua suffered a neck injury Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game, and although the evaluation is ongoing, the belief is he could be ‘out for a while,’ a source said,” Gehlken tweeted on August 8th. “Unfortunate setback for Olonilua. Had been competing for a 53-man roster spot.”
The Cowboys Have a Crowded Receiver Group
There will be more challenging roster cuts ahead, but the Cowboys were tasked with removing just five players from their active roster by August 17th. The Cowboys face another cut deadline after the team’s third preseason matchup by trimming the roster to 80 players (i.e. five more players will be released) by August 24th. Dallas’ big cut day will be August 31st when every NFL team’s roster must be down to their final 53-man group heading into Week 1.
Eagles is likely to be the first of several promising receivers the Cowboys will release in the coming weeks. The Cowboys’ top three receivers are set with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup making for an extra-tight depth chart at the position.
A few of the players competing for the final roster spots at receiver include Malik Turner, Cedric Wilson, Simi Fehoko, Aaron Parker, Johnnie Dixon and Osirus Mitchell. After taking over as Cowboys head coach, McCarthy emphasized that he views the team’s top three wideouts as all being No. 1 caliber-receivers.
“Let’s make it clear,” McCarthy noted last August, per Sports Illustrated. “Michael Gallup’s a No. 1 receiver in my view. I think we’re very fortunate to have three players with that level of potential to go out and play at that level.”
Brennan Eagles & Jaylen Waddle Were the Top 2 Receivers Coming Out of Texas in 2018
Eagles was one of Texas’ top receivers posting 28 receptions for 469 yards and five touchdowns in nine contests in 2020. The former Longhorns wideout represents a big, physical player at 6’4″ and 229 pounds. Eagles was a four-star recruit coming out of Alief Taylor High School (Houston) in 2018.
The top-100 recruit had offers from a number of high-level programs including Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Florida State, per 247 Sports. Heading into the draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler labeled Eagles as a potential practice squad candidate.
“A two-year starter at Texas, Eagles lined up as an outside receiver in former head coach Tom Herman’s offense, playing primarily to the field side,” Brugler noted. “He and Jaylen Waddle were considered the top two receiver prospects in the state of Texas in the 2018 class and emerged as a downfield threat for the Longhorns the past two seasons. Eagles has the natural size and tracking skills to post up defenders downfield. However, he lacks the short-area quickness and route-running prowess to instinctively leverage defenders and uncover. Overall, Eagles is an intriguing height/weight/speed talent, but he needs to mature on and off the field to warrant a roster spot in the NFL. He projects as a practice squad candidate.”