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I wasn’t surprised by the first round of cuts today; however, I hope Jackie Battle can return via the practice squad, assuming he can recover from the ankle injury. After watching training camp and the first three preseason games, the 53-man roster is becoming clearer. Here’s my latest roster projections:

QB (2): Tony Romo, Brad Johnson
RB (3): Julius Jones, Marion Barber 3, Tyson Thompson

FB (2): Oliver Hoyte, Deon Anderson

WR (6): Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Isaiah Stanback, Miles Austin

TE (3): Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, Tony Curtis

OL (9): Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis, Marc Colombo, Pat McQuistan, James Marten, Doug Free, Cory Procter

Offense (25)

DL (4): Jason Hatcher, Jay Ratliff, Chris Canty, Marcus Spears

NT (2): Jason Ferguson, Remi Ayodele

LB (8): DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, Akin Ayodele, Greg Ellis, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Spencer, Kevin Burnett, Junior Glymph

CB (6): Terence Newman, Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn, Jacques Reeves, Joey Thomas, Quincy Butler
FS (3): Ken Hamlin, Patrick Watkins, Courtney Brown

SS (2): Roy Williams, Keith Davis

ST (3): Nick Folk, Mat McBriar, L.P. Ladouceur

Defense (28)

With injuries and quality depth issues, I see the Cowboys carrying just (2) QBs again this season. Matt Moore has show his ability, and should be able to run the scout team on the practice squad, he’ll continue to work with Garrett, and that will only make him a better prospect for 2008. Deon Anderson makes the team with his big hits, blocking and special teams play. Miles Austin makes the team as a return specialist, but would not be surprised if he does not make the Sept. 1st cuts. Tony Curtis has come a long way, he’s had a strong camp and solid preseason, so he’s probably in. No big surprises on the Offensive Line. Junior Glymph continues to play well and has drawn praise from Phillips several times, so he’ll be solid in rotation. Cornerbacks is where we could see some surprises. Right now I have Aaron Glenn at #3, but he hasn’t really separated himself from the other backups at all, so he’s on the bubble with the rest of the guys. If we can mount a trade to add someone solid at cornerback, this will give us some relief. The cornerbacks are not getting any props from the staff at this point, and its a concern as we draw closer to the game opener against the Giants. Courtney Brown makes the team with his good play, and his versatility as a safety and cornerback experience.

Cowboys have announced player cuts, and an injury settlement with Jackie Battle.

Cowboys | Stanley released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:24:20 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released DL Montavious Stanley.

Cowboys | Richardson released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:23:53 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released WR Jamel Richardson.

Cowboys | Rabb released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:23:03 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released WR Jerard Rabb.

Cowboys | Obomese released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:20:23 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released LB Alex Obomese.

Cowboys | Hilliard released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:16:39 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released OT Jason Hilliard.

Cowboys | Harrington released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:15:38 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released LB Dedrick Harrington.

Cowboys | Dagunduro released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:14:23 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released DL Ola Dagunduro.

Cowboys | Rector released
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:11:37 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have released injured WR Jamaica Rector (knee).

Cowboys | Team reaches agreement with Battle
Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:09:32 -0700

The Dallas Cowboys have announced they have reached an injury settlement with RB Jackie Battle (ankle). He is not longer on the team’s roster.

The preseason is half over, and injuries around the league are piling up at an exponential rate. The Cowboys got a few scares in our last game, but nothing too major. Here’s the latest injury reports (DMN):

Look for cornerback Quincy Butler and defensive end Jason Hatcher to return to practice this week. Coach Wade Phillips said there is nothing new on Greg Ellis’ return.

Tight end Anthony Fasano sounded more optimistic about his shoulder injury than Phillips did. Fasano said he expects to practice Tuesday but Phillips was awaiting word from the trainers.

Fasano has been bothered by this injury since last year. He re-injured it earlier in the off-season and had the shoulder driven into the turf in the second quarter vs. Denver. Not sounding too alarmed, Fasano said if it was a regular season game he would have returned.

Running back Jackie Battle is sporting a boot on his left ankle. He’s picked the wrong time to get hurt.

I expect Jason Hatcher to be fully involved once he returns to the field. In my opinion he posseses a better pash rush than Spears, but to Spears’ credit he appears to be a different player this year. So, in the end, Spears and Hatcher should both have solid numbers, and you can’t ask for a better situation than that. Jackie Battle could be out of the 53-man roster now, I doubt he makes it now. There was a chance he may have. But as I wrote in a previous post, Stanback was the key for Battle. Stanback is playing now, making plays, and looking the part in practice. In addition to Stanback looking good, he may have leap frogged Miles Austin who had a horrible game against the Broncos. So, with that being said, depending on Battle’s health outlook, he could be looking at the practice squad, which may not be a bad thing for him with his injury, we could carry him there, rehab him, and have him ready for 2008 for sure, when the RB makeup could be revamped again. We’ll see.

Miles Austin could have single handedly dropped himself out of a spot. Austin should be able to make the first cuts on the 28th, but he better make some plays at WR and not depend on his special teams skills. Tyson Thompson has re-emerged as the featured return man, so Austin is in trouble there too.

Wide Receivers that make the team are: Owens, Glenn, Crayton, Hurd, Stanback

Austin is on the bubble now, and may not make it.

Joey Thomas is playing well, and has flown past Nate Jones in the CB position battles.

Cornerbacks that make the team are: Newman, Henry, Glenn, Reeves, Thomas

Jones and Ball are climbing an uphill battle at this point

Safeties that make the team are: Williams, Hamlin, Watkins, Davis, Brown

Brown makes the team, because of his diversity, he’s been playing at safety, but can also play at CB

The Fullback position is still somewhat clouded, it appears Hoyte is the man, but I think rookie Deon Anderson may be earning his stripes on special teams, he’s laying the wood on people everytime, and that’s the type of player you want on the field come gameday.

Dude, are we getting Ayodele?

There could be some hope at the NT position, it looks like Remi Ayodele could be distancing himself from the rest of the backups, and now has a shot at making the team. The others are pretty much out. By game three, the rosters are beginning to mold into that 53-man version we’ll see for 16 games. Ayodele played a lot of snaps after Ferguson sat down for the night. That’s promising.

The Ellis watch

Supposedly Ellis was “very close” to practicing. Who knows what is going to happen here at this point. His future remains clouded, and with that, so are the linebacker rosters. If Ellis is unable to return soon, or can’t continue on, we have some questions. I know Junior Glymph makes the team as a backup, and next would probably be Alex Obomese as a potential backup to Spencer.

Basically, I’m not equating Ellis into the starting 53-man roster. Obviously, if the Cowboys keep him on, he won’t start, this is a for sure thing. Ellis has an injury that takes over a year to fully heal, and he’s not ready. He stated he still has pain that won’t go away, so that’s a red flag. Obomese is making plays, but would he be able to play a few snaps to spell Spencer in relief? This next game is big for the backup LBs.