3 Dallas Cowboys veterans who will be cut before Week 1 and why

The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason was a fairly quiet one, despite being defeated in the NFC Wild Card round at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. Mike McCarthy remained with the team. Dak Prescott remains the quarterback, although he needs a contract extension. The same can be said for Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb, the latter of whom remains with the team.

Heck, the Cowboys even brought back Ezekiel Elliott! It’s like they want the rest of the NFL to make fun of them. Jerry Jones is fighting a custody suit. I just… can’t. I don’t root for the Cowboys, but I imagine it can’t be easy, even with the America’s Team designation. The Cowboys haven’t made it to a Super Bowl since I was 2.

Change is necessary for Dallas to get over the hump. Unfortunately, none of the moves discussed in this article will help the Cowboys get an NFC championship, let alone a Super Bowl. In fact, these veterans losing their roster spots could be a blessing in disguise. At least they won’t have to deal with months of false hope.

If the Washington Commanders thought Shaka Toney was expendable, the Cowboys don’t have a roster spot for him either. Toney was suspended for a year by the NFL (so he missed last season) for gambling. Yeah, he’s one of those guys. I wouldn’t include any prop bets on Toney in my parlay, despite his experience as an NFL pass rusher.

Toney played in 10 and 16 games respectively in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He’s 26 years old, and while young even by NFL standards, he’s no longer the promising draft pick worth keeping for potential alone. He has 1.5 career sacks, and his best attribute is supposed to be rushing the passer.

The Commanders signed three pass rushers in the offseason and looked into drafting more depth at that position. Because of this, they moved on from Toney, who now comes with some baggage. He is currently at the bottom of the Cowboys’ depth chart.

I love Deuce Vaughn as much as the next guy. He was a monster at Kansas State and an instant fan favorite when he was drafted by Dallas. Unfortunately, the Cowboys haven’t given him many opportunities, and when they have injuries, it has affected his playing time. I really hope I’m wrong on this prediction, but Vaughn had just 40 rushing yards last season and played in seven games. He has a 5-7 record, making him a constant injury risk.

Dallas also has better backs up front. You could argue that Zeke, Rico Dowdle and Royce Freeman are better suited for this offense than Vaughn. Maybe the Cowboys can use Vaughn on special teams, or in a receiver-specific role, but for now he’s listed as the fourth-string back on Dallas’ unofficial depth chart, and for good reason. The Athletic’s Jon Machota agrees with me, so this isn’t just my uninformed opinion:

“We give Freeman a slight edge over Deuce Vaughn because the second-year running back hasn’t been practicing due to a hamstring injury,” Machota wrote.

Well, that’s pretty typical of Vaughn, who has exceptional talent but can’t seem to stay on the field.

Cooper Rush was an excellent story when he filled in for Dak Prescott in 2022. If he’s proven anything, though, it’s that he’s not Prescott and is therefore more important as a plausible trade value than an on-field asset. Dallas has a capable backup in Trey Lance, who they’ve been touting all offseason. I tend to believe that’s for a reason, and it’s setting up an eventual divorce from Rush.

Dallas would be wise to trade one of its backup quarterbacks (Lance or Rush) for draft capital. The backup quarterback position has never been more valuable. With the 18-week schedule, NFL teams are finding out the hard way that 17 games of action is often too much for one player. Injuries, eventually, happen.

Just as Machota agreed that Vaughn is out, he also agrees with me on Rush. Lance fills that void nicely, and Dallas can rely on a practice squad/emergency QB for QB3.

“Rush has looked like his usual self. Lance has been up and down. There are times when it seems easy to write him off, and then there are times when he makes a play that shows why he was a top-five pick in 2021,” Machota wrote.

With Lance playing second fiddle in camp, there’s really no need to force Rush onto the roster when they can get rid of him for a late-round pick.