The Dallas Cowboys are knee deep in preparation for their 2022 debut on Sunday night when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After making all of their roster moves last week, including one final adjustment on Monday, the team knows who will be in on the action as they begin their defense of the NFC East.
On Tuesday, the club released their unofficial depth chart for the week, which includes some interesting things that have carried over from the offseason, along with a couple things that raised eyebrows, including listing 12 defensive starters. The club will be elevating several practice squad guys for the game, and some of them are so anticipated they are listed on the depth chart.
(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Starter: Dak Prescott
2nd String: Cooper Rush (PS)
The Cowboys will elevate Rush from the practice squad to serve as backup for this contest as Prescott begins his seventh season as starter. He’s injury free but with a lesser core of targets.
(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Starter: Ezekiel Elliott
2nd: Tony Pollard
3rd: Rico Dowdle
It’s a two-headed attack, but the health of Dowdle should allow Kellen Moore to spell both Elliott and Pollard, who will hopefully see a lot of time on the field together this year.
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Starter: CeeDee Lamb
2nd: Symi Fehoko
Lamb is going to play everywhere, X, Z and slot and he’s going to be moved around to force the defense to declare coverage.
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Starter: Michael Gallup
2nd: Jalen Tolbert
Gallup won’t be ready to go this week but he’s close. The rookie Tolbert struggled with consistency during camp but it’s time to put the big-boy pants on now.
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Starter: Noah Brown
2nd: KaVontae Turpin
3rd: Dennis Houston
Fans will doubt Brown is ready to ascend into the spotlight but he had an incredible camp. Expect Turpin to play a sizable role on offense outside of his returner duties.
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Starter: Dalton Schultz
2nd: Jake Ferguson
3rd: Peyton Hendershot
There’s nothing but youth behind Schultz which raises some alarms considering how much the TEs will be asked to help the tackles.
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Starter: Tyler Smith
2nd: Matt Waletzko
The Cowboys had a plan; it was a bad plan, but it was their plan. Now they have Plan 2023 a year early. At least they got Josh Ball out the LT paint.
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
Starter: Connor McGovern
2nd: Tyler Smith
McGovern gets a second chance to make a first impression. He didn’t fare well in replacing Connor Williams last season, and he spent all of this training camp on the right side while Tyler Smith got acclimated. This is the area of concern on offense.
(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Starter: Tyler Biadasz
2nd: Matt Farniok
Was very interesting that Dallas gave Biadasz the secure-starter treatment, playing him the first 15 snaps of the first game and never again. They seem far more confident than the fanbase is.
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
Starter: Zack Martin
2nd: Matt Farniok
Martin is the best in the world at what he does. Hopefully Dallas does n’t lessen his perceived worth by what they have around him in the second half of his career.
(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
Starter: Terence Steele
2nd: Josh Ball
Steele is now entrenched as the starter for the first time in his career and Ball has to be better on the right side (where Stephen Jones said he belonged in the spring) than he was on the left.
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
Starter: DeMarcus Lawrence
2nd: Tarell Basham
3rd: Sam Williams
Lawrence was injured following Week 1 but in every game he played in 2021 looked the part of a top-tier DE.
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Starter: Quinton Bohanna
2nd: Neville Gallimore
3rd: John Ridgeway
Interesting to see Bohanna, who had a great training camp get the nod here, but Gallimore is the second three-tech and will be in more often than not as passing downs is the base approach now.
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Starter: Osa Odighizuwa
2nd: Trysten Hill
Odighizuwa getting the nod on the starting line as opposed to Gallimore isn’t insignificant, folks.
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
Starter: Dorance Armstrong
2nd: Dante Fowler
3rd: Chauncey Golston
Armstrong sat out the entire preseason, so the Cowboys firmly believe he’s capable of being the lead guy to replace Gregory. Fowler has to play in control or he’ll be getting DNP-coaches decisions.
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
Starter: Micah Parsons
2nd: Anthony Barr
Click it. I dare you.
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Starter: Leighton Vander Esch
2nd: Jabril Cox
3rd: Devin Harper
Barr is the Parsons insurance, but will play with Vander Esch. Cox may take some time to return to top ability after last year’s ACL tear.
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Starter: Anthony Brown
2nd: Kelvin Joseph
3rd: CJ Goodwin
Joseph has so much work to do to make up ground on Brown now, amazing considering many thought he had a chance to split snaps entering 2021’s final preseason game.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Starter: Jourdan Lewis
2nd: Daron Bland
Slot corner is one of the league’s toughest jobs and now only is Lewis underrated, Bland looks like a dimaond-in-the-rough.
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Starter: Trevon Diggs
2nd: Nahshon Wright
Can Diggs lead the league in INTs in back-to-back seasons like Everson Walls did? Don’t bet against him, he’s a magnet.
(AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
Starter: Jayron Kearse
2nd: Israel Mukuamu
Mukuamu is a Kearse clone, but all eyes will be watching to see if Kearse was a one-year wonder or if Dallas truly discovered a gem.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Starter: Donovan Wilson
Wilson is capable of doing everything at the safety position as long as he’s healthy. But that’s been the toughest part.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Starter: Malik Hooker
2nd: Markquese Bell
No one talks about Hooker except for Jerry Jones; dark horse to emerge as a start out of this season.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Starter: Brett Maher (PS)
(AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Starter: Bryan Anger
(AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Starter: Jake McQuaide
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Starter: KaVontae Turpin
2nd: Tony Pollard
3rd: Rico Dowdle
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Starter: KaVontae Turpin
2nd: Tony Pollard
3rd: CeeDee Lamb
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