The Dallas Cowboys have officially wrapped up the 2025 preseason and will now begin preparing for a Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 4.

The end of preseason football also marks one of the most active days in the entire season, as teams are required to reduce their overall size to comply with NFL regulations.

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Beginning on Tuesday, NFL teams are required to carry just 53 players on the active roster, meaning roughly 40 players will be released from each team in the league.

Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer has already addressed the upcoming cuts, saying that some of the decisions could be shocking for many fans.

“We’ll sit down and make some decisions about the entire roster,” he said, per SB Nation.

“There will probably be a few surprises compared to the projections out there, where people might say, I thought for sure this guy was going to make it.”

With that in mind, here is The Dallas Express’s official prediction for the Cowboys’ 53-man roster:

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Quarterback (2): Dak Prescott, Joe Milton III

The quarterback room opens with Prescott as the only lock of the group, with Dallas likely to retain Will Grier on the practice squad following a solid showing in the preseason. Dallas has already invested assets in Milton, and the upside for one of the most physically gifted players in the league is too high to ignore. Additionally, the potential for him getting claimed by another team would be too high for the Cowboys to risk, meaning he will enter the season as the team’s backup quarterback.

Running Back (4): Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, Hunter Luepke, Phil Mafah

The first two spots on the Cowboys’ running back depth chart were easy to establish, with Williams standing out as the clear starter to open the season and Blue showing enough in preseason to warrant a spot on the team. The difficulty came in the final two spots of the chart.

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Luepke will likely be listed as a fullback and not receive many touches throughout the season, but his blocking ability in both pass and run sets should earn him a spot on the roster to open the year.

Both Mafah and veteran Miles Sanders could argue that they have a claim to the final spot in this room, but the more likely outcome is Dallas opting to keep Mafah on the roster due to his youth and availability.

Despite fighting for his spot on the roster, Sanders managed to play in just one preseason matchup and missed time in training camp due to various lingering injuries, meaning Dallas was able to see Mafah more frequently over the last few weeks. These factors, along with the slight likelihood that Mafah could get claimed by another team if cut, give the rookie the edge for the final roster spot.

Wide Receivers (5): CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Brooks

Lamb and Pickens are set to enter the season as the clear first two options in this receiving room, with Turpin standing out as the most likely third option following an offseason in which he signed a three-year, $18 million contract.

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The final two spots were the difficult part to decide upon, with Flournoy and Brooks each possessing the skills that will make them valuable on this roster.

One of these players will likely be released once Jonathan Mingo is eligible to return from injury, but that will buy both players valuable time to develop more audition tape for other franchises.

Meanwhile, Tolbert is one of the surprise cuts mentioned following a disappointing preseason. Dallas could look to trade him to one of the various teams that need wide receiver depth, but odds are increasingly low that he will start the 2025 season with the Cowboys.

Tight End (3): Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford

The tight end room should be pretty straightforward for Dallas entering the 2025 season. Ferguson is the clear first option as the team’s best pass catcher at the position, with both Schoonmaker and Spann-Ford standing out as solid depth pieces who should see the field at times throughout the season.

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Offensive Line (10): Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, Terrence Steele, Nate Thomas, T.J. Bass, Brock Hoffman, Asim Richards, Hakeem Adeniji

Dallas has dealt with significant offensive line injuries throughout the offseason, prompting the team to keep one extra lineman heading into the season.

The first unit has already been well established in the preseason, with Guyton, Smith, Beebe, Booker, and Steele each making the team as the starting offensive line.

Meanwhile, Dallas could look to keep Thomas, Richards, and Adeniji as three players who can step into the tackle roles in the event of another injury.

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Finally, Bass and Hoffman each have meaningful experience filling in for the team along the interior offensive line and could play vital roles for the team this season.

Defensive Tackle (4): Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas, Perrion Winfrey, Jay Toia

There are various factors to talk about with this prediction, but the biggest surprise is the lack of Mazi Smith on the final roster.

Once again, Schottenheimer said there would be some surprises on the final roster, and cutting a former first-round draft selection certainly qualifies as that.

However, Smith has struggled through his first two seasons in the league and showed very little growth during the preseason, marking a disappointing end to his time in Dallas. Smith may end up on the Cowboys’ practice squad, but there is no guarantee that the team will not try to move him to pick up a late-round draft selection.

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On the other end, each of the four defensive tackles listed brings value to this team. Odighizuwa is the team’s best overall defensive tackle, and Thomas is arguably the best run defender on the team.

Winfrey and Toia are both incredibly young, but both offer more upside than Smith and can justify their presence on the roster as players who can be molded into effective run defenders.

Defensive End (6): Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, Dante Fowler Jr., Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston, Sam Williams

In this scenario, Dallas is choosing to keep an extra defensive end as the contract negotiations with Parsons continue. Dallas will keep six defensive ends at a position that is much deeper than initially expected entering the offseason.

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Fowler will likely be used as a purely passing set defensive end, with his various pass rush moves making him one of the best players on the roster at forcing quarterback pressures.

Kneeland and Ezeiruaku will make the team as two solid overall players who can continue developing as the season progresses.

The biggest surprise of this group is Houston, who has flashed throughout the preseason and is still young enough to grow into a meaningful player after an injury-riddled start to his career. Another team would likely claim Houston if Dallas chooses to cut him, which would allow the team to keep him on the official roster.

Later in the season, there is the potential for Williams to get moved to another team, as the growth of the young players and the return of Parsons to the field could make his skill set redundant in this unit.

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Linebacker (5): Marist Liufau, Jack Sanborn, Kenneth Murray Jr., Shemar James, Damone Clark

The Cowboys’ linebacker room should be a straightforward decision, with each of these players having a reason to remain on the roster.

Liufau is the lone returner from this unit and should enter the season as one of the Cowboys’ defensive starters, with Sanborn likely to play alongside him after an impressive training camp and preseason.

James and Clark are both rookies who flashed at times during the preseason and should make the team with their potential to develop.

Finally, Murray will make the team after Dallas traded for him in the offseason, as the team would prefer to test their investment during the regular season.

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The notable absence on this list is Demarvion Overshown, who was not included as he is likely to enter the season on the injured reserve list. However, his eventual return should give the Cowboys flexibility to eventually move off one of the listed linebackers, with Murray standing out as the biggest cut candidate.

Cornerback (7): DaRon Bland, Trevon Diggs, Kaiir Elam, Andrew Booth, C.J. Goodwin, Kemon Hall, Zion Childress

Dallas chooses to keep seven cornerbacks due to the injury issues at the position, along with the flexibility of many of these players to also participate in special teams.

Bland, Diggs, and Elam have seemingly established themselves as the team’s main options at the position, and all three players should be locks to make the final roster. Booth and Hall have each shone during the preseason and should make the team as a result.

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Finally, Goodwin is one of the Cowboys’ best special teamers and will be heavily relied upon in that aspect. Childress will provide the necessary depth to keep this team afloat in the event of injuries.

Shavon Revel Jr. will eventually be activated during the season, though it remains unclear how long that process will take as he recovers from a torn ACL.

Safeties (4): Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell

The safety room should be another straightforward choice for the Cowboys once roster cuts are announced. All four of these players are returners who contributed to an extent last season, providing them with the rapport to easily make the team. Wilson and Hooker will be the clear starters in this unit, but both Thomas and Bell can step in and play critical snaps if there are injuries or other reasons why the other two cannot be on the field.

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Special Teams (3): Brandon Aubrey, Bryan Anger, Trent Sieg

Another straightforward unit is the special teams. Aubrey and Anger are two of the best players at their positions and are not concerned in any way about being cut, while Sieg will manage the long snapper position for the Cowboys for the third consecutive season. All three will make the team.