Cowboys Finalize Roster, Trade Thomas Ahead of Season Opener

The Dallas Cowboys have finalized their initial 53-man roster following the league’s cut deadline, making a notable trade to address their offensive line depth while leaving the quarterback competition undecided. The team is currently preparing for the regular season, which begins in two weeks.

Dallas executed a trade involving swing tackle Nate Thomas, sending him to the Houston Texans in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick. Notably, this matches the exact compensation the Cowboys surrendered to select Thomas in the 2024 draft. The trade comes a day after the team acquired tackle Broderick Jones from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tyler Guyton had secured the starting left tackle position during training camp, pushing Thomas out of the lineup.

In terms of roster management, the team placed linebacker Marist Liufau and cornerback Devin Moore on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Liufau is set to undergo surgery for a broken arm sustained in the final preseason game and is expected to miss several weeks. Moore is sidelined with a hip injury. NFL rules permit teams to utilize two designations to return at this stage of the season.

The competition for the primary backup quarterback position behind Dak Prescott remains unresolved. Both Joe Milton III and Sam Howell have retained their spots on the roster after strong performances throughout August. Rather than risking waivers to move one to the practice squad, Dallas has kept both signal-callers. Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones indicated that the team might carry two backup quarterbacks, though the specific depth chart order for QB2 and QB3 has not been established.

What to watch

• Injury updates on Marist Liufau and Devin Moore regarding their timeline to return.
• Clarification on the depth chart order for the backup quarterback position.
• Season performance of the retooled offensive line following the trades.

Source: original release