Cowboys face position-by-position calls as they prepare to trim to 53 before final preseason game

The Dallas Cowboys are nearing the deadline stage of roster building, with one more preseason game separating them from the final 53-man cut. Ahead of their last preseason appearance against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the organization is weighing what each position group can afford to carry into the regular season, a process that typically forces teams to balance depth, upside, and role clarity.

On the Cowboys’ end, the trimming process is not simply about removing players. It is about deciding which players fit each position’s needs for the opener and beyond, including who can be trusted as starters, who can handle defined backup duties, and who can provide the right mix of special teams value and positional flexibility.

Dallas’ roster decisions come in the final stretch where coaches and front-office staff often review performance from training camp, the preseason game plan, and the way players execute assigned roles under game conditions. In that setting, even small differences in execution, assignment soundness, and consistency tend to matter more than in earlier weeks when there is more time to evaluate.

The Cowboys’ approach, as outlined by the team, is to break the decisions down “at each position,” reflecting how the 53-man roster limit forces hard tradeoffs. One group may be comfortable carrying experienced depth, while another might prioritize a narrower set of players who offer the best fit for the offensive or defensive scheme and the special teams plan.

Because the roster reduction is tied to Monday’s practical reality of the 53-man limit, the timing of decisions is especially tight. The final preseason game acts as both a final look for players on the bubble and a last opportunity for coaches to confirm which roles can be trusted once the regular-season rotation becomes more fixed.

What to watch next is less about a single headline move and more about the pattern of the Cowboys’ cuts once the Saints game concludes. If Dallas follows its own position-by-position framing, fans can expect the roster changes to reflect clearer definitions of starters and primary reserves, followed by a final special-teams and depth selection process that emphasizes reliability.

It is also worth noting that preseason evaluation can never fully replicate regular-season outcomes, particularly for units and players who are still learning assignments. The Cowboys will treat Sunday’s snaps as confirmation of role readiness, but the early regular-season weeks often reveal whether those final roster calls translated cleanly into game-day production.