NFL rosters have officially been cut down, but that doesn't mean that fans are done complaining about roster cuts. The best players — or the most popular (two things that are linked but not necessarily the same thing) — don't always make it on to the 53-man roster, and that's true for the Dallas Cowboys.
Is this Dallas' year, finally? Maybe, but it would have been nice if the team had found a way to get these three players on to the final roster.
RB Jaydon Blue
It felt like there was a point this offseason where Jaydon Blue was being spoken of as someone who would have a big role with the Dallas Cowboys. While he wasn't going to challenge Javonte Williams for the starting role or anything, it seemed like he could carve out a role as a change-of-pace back.
There are certainly reasons to move on from Blue. He's not someone with the size to be a reliable pass blocker, which limits how much you can have him out on the field, and it also keeps him from really being able to carve out a special teams role. There are a number of NFL teams who could have Blue this offseason without anyone really giving it a second thought.
But the Cowboys are weak at running back. Malik Davis is now the RB2 and Emari Demercado — who was just cut from a Chiefs team that was basically in the same position as the Cowboys, with one good starting running back and then nothing solid behind him — will battle for that role. Surely, Blue's skills could have been of some use on a roster that's this shallow at running back.
TE Michael Trigg
Alright, this is one I've been beating the drum for all offseason, so even if it's not the most popular choice for a "guy who shouldn't have been cut" list, I'm going to keep doubling down on my take.
Jake Ferguson is a very solid TE1 for an NFL team. Nothing at all against Ferguson here. The problem is the depth behind him at the position is super, super iffy. They have 2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker, who just hasn't developed like he was expected to, and Brevyn Spann-Ford, who equaled his career high in receptions last season with nine.
There was room for Trigg to make this roster. He has upside as a receiver and can kind of play a big slot role, though it's probably fair to think he needs more time to develop as a blocker. Luckily for the Cowboys, he landed on the team's practice squad, so there should be a path forward for him with the franchise.
QB Joe Milton
I mean, what are the Dallas Cowboys doing here? The team traded for Joe Milton in 2025 and he played well throughout the preseason, yet the team opted to move on from him and keep Sam Howell as the backup to Dak Prescott.
I suppose you can argue that Howell is the "safe" pick by virtue of him having a year as a starter under his belt. But you can also argue that year, which saw him lead the NFL in interceptions, isn't really proof that he's someone you can trust to bring in if Dak Prescott is forced to miss time.
Not that we can necessarily trust Milton either, but he's a more interesting long-term prospect and the Cowboys had more invested in him. Nothing about how the preseason went suggested that a changing of the guard at the backup quarterback spot was warranted for the Cowboys.
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