FRISCO, TX — The work continued Tuesday as the Dallas Cowboys, like the other 31 NFL teams, trimmed their 90-man roster, with the goal of reducing it to just 53 players. The wave of cuts that followed ensured a brief stay, or so it seems, for Carl Lawson; and the tight ends department said goodbye to Peyton Hendershot — among other changes.
The Cowboys also released four running backs, including Malik Davis and Royce Freeman. The release of Nathaniel Peat and Snoop Connor leaves three running backs on the roster: Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.
All four released running backs could return to the practice squad if they comply with waiver rules. That might have been true for Hendershot as well if he had been officially released, but the Cowboys made a last-minute deal with the Kansas City Chiefs that gave them the tight end in exchange for a conditional late-round draft pick.
The third-year talent began his career in North Texas in 2022 as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana, but injuries stalled his development and cleared the way for others like former second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker and John Stephens Jr.; and undrafted rookie tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford began to flash later in training camp as the Cowboys’ priority addition last spring.
Lawson is a different story transactionally, as he is a seasoned veteran who is not subject to waivers (minimum four seasons of accrued eligibility). He is expected to be a free agent again after signing with the Cowboys about a week earlier, and can decide to join another club immediately. There was no guaranteed salary involved in the original signing, so there is no financial penalty for the Cowboys for this move.
Lawson has the option to join the practice squad in Dallas, where he would have a chance to make the active roster, and so does Kemon Hall, assuming he goes unclaimed. The talented young corner was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco 49ers early in training camp and delivered a pick-six in the second game of the preseason.
It’s clear that Hall has talent, as he once defeated the grandson of owner and general manager Jerry Jones in college.
The NFL allows teams to begin building their 16-man practice squad at noon Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 28. However, for the Cowboys, Denzel Daxon will likely receive an IPP exemption and become the 17th man on that unit.
Other moves made Tuesday include the likely placement of All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland and swing tackle Chuma Edoga on the injured list with foot and toe injuries, respectively, although the 2024 IR rule change allows both to be reinstated to the team after missing at least four games.
This means the Cowboys won’t have to have either of them on the active roster for a day to avoid losing them for the entire season, as was the case before the change was ratified this year. They will also avoid having Al-Quadin Muhammad on the active roster until after Week 1, as the veteran pass rusher still has to serve a suspension for one final game of his original six-game sentence the league imposed on him in 2023.
Below is the list of the last transactions completed (so to speak) to bring the Cowboys roster to 53 men:
WAIVED
Ball, Josh (T – Marshall)
Butler, Josh (DB – Michigan State)
Conner, Snoop (RB – Mississippi)
Cropper, Jalen (WR – Fresno State)
Davis, Malik (RB – Florida)
Daxon, Denzel (DT – Illinois)
Fant, Princeton (TE – Tennessee)
Hall, Kemon (DB – North Texas)
Harmon, Kelvin (WR – North Carolina State)
Johnson, Emany (DB – Nevada)
McMath, Racey (WR – Louisiana State)
Mogensen, Brock (LB – South Dakota)
Rogers, Justin (DT – Auburn)
Wood, Julius (DB – East Carolina)
Freeman, Royce (RB – Oregon)
Harris, Darius (LB – Middle Tennessee)
Lawson, Carl (DE – Auburn)
Shepley, Dakoda (C – British Columbia, Canada)
Vigil, Nick (LB – Utah State)
TRADED
Hendershot, Peyton (TE – Indiana)
RESERVE/INJURED
Thomas, Nathan (T – Louisiana-Lafatte)
RESERVE/INJURED – Intended for return
Bland, DaRon (DB – Fresno State)
RESERVE/COMMISSION EXEMPTION
Lamb, CeeDee (WR – Oklahoma)
SIGNED
Joseph, Linval (NT – Eastern Carolina)
