OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys players are running low on time to intensify their pushes for roster spots and starting roles.
In just under two weeks, the Cowboys will whittle their roster from 90 players to 53, leaving some NFL hopefuls looking for work and others relishing life-altering opportunities.
The team will hold a joint practice Wednesday against the Rams, play two preseason games and continue practicing between now and cutdown day. During that time, several position battles are worth watching:
Running back
If Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle are cemented in the spots atop the Cowboys’ depth chart, the team still must sort out the rest of the running back room. Sunday’s preseason opener offered little clarity.
Malik Davis (eight carries for 18 yards), Snoop Conner (three for 10) and Nathaniel Peat (two for 5) saw game action against the Rams and none averaged more than 3.3 yards per carry.
Deuce Vaughn, a second-year pro and fan favorite, sat with a hamstring injury Sunday but could offer another option for Dallas’ backfield. Vaughn’s small frame, shiftiness and receiving ability provide a different profile than Elliott or Dowdle, and he could complement those other ball-carriers well. But he needs to be on the field to create separation from his competitors.
Same goes for veteran Royce Freeman, who is dealing with a groin injury.
And the possibility of fullback Hunter Luepke making the regular-season roster only crowds the position further.
Center
Teams always hope their draft picks can contribute early, and that’s one reason to think Cooper Beebe will emerge as the Cowboys’ starting center. The third-round pick played with the first-team offense on Tuesday for the first time, ramping up his competition with Brock Hoffman.
Hoffman, who made two starts last season, gives the Cowboys more experience on the line.
Beebe provides the team with more youth and allows for loftier dreams.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he expects Hoffman to make a strong case for the job, but the third-year veteran is the more proven commodity. Coaches have had several years to evaluate Hoffman. That’s why Beebe’s progress will likely determine how the Cowboys proceed — and Wednesday’s practice with the Rams, with Beebe expected to take first-team repetitions, is an especially important one.
Linebacker
The Cowboys appear to face an unfamiliar challenge: They might have to choose who deserves playing time from a group of capable linebackers.
Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said Tuesday the team had four or five linebackers who could join veteran Eric Kendricks on the field in important moments this season. That comes a year after the Cowboys struggled at the position and often failed to match the physicality of opposing rushing attacks.
In response to those deficiencies, Dallas signed Kendricks and Nick Vigil in free agency, drafted Marist Liufau in the third round and watched 2023 pick DeMarvion Overshown recover from a season-ending knee injury. Add in Damone Clark, a young player who held his own last season, and Dallas may enter the regular season with a rare surplus of options at linebacker.
Zimmer mentioned all of those players by name Tuesday in a press conference when lauding the defense’s depth.
Even if Zimmer slots linebackers into specific roles and establishes a rotation, he won’t have enough snap to keep everybody happy. That place extra pressure on the linebackers to play well over the final weeks of training camp.
Kick returner No. 2
The Cowboys have a star kick returner in Kavontae Turpin. Only problem is, new kickoff rules make it important for Dallas to find him a partner.
Tyron Billy-Johnson returned two kicks for 70 yards in the preseason opener and Jalen Cropper began the game back deep with him. Either of those receivers could help their case for a roster spot by proving they belong next to Turpin on kickoffs.
Vaughn also has the tools to shine in the role, and special teams coach John Fassel might test out creative approaches to the kickoff, too.
However Dallas’ decision shakes out, a strong showing as a kick returner over the next two weeks could represent one player’s ticket to a roster spot.