These are three training camp cut candidates for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023. Spoiler alert: they're all on defense.
With Dallas Cowboys training camp underway, football season has officially started. As is usually the case, the Cowboys enter 2023 with another heavy burden of expectations. Divisional competition has only gotten tougher — the NFC East includes the Super Bowl runner-ups, a re-invigorated Giants squad, and a hungry Commanders side — and the Cowboys have a fire burning under them after last year's playoff disappointment.
Every year, the Cowboys get hyped up. And every year, they inevitably fall short.
Is this year the year?
It all begins at training camp. Some positional groups are pretty much set in stone, like the wide receiver unit. Dallas has three solid starters, two former draft picks, and one player coming off a Pro Bowl campaign — that room probably won't get shaken up.
As for the other units… What veterans are in danger of losing their jobs? What youngsters could find themselves on the outside looking in?
Here are three Cowboys players who may not make the final 53-man roster.
Cowboys' training camp cut candidate No. 3: Devin Harper, LB
Historically, the Cowboys have gone six-deep at the linebacker position. This season, they might go with five because of how much talent they have in the backfield and because their safeties tend to be more versatile than others.
Dan Quinn usually puts two or fewer true linebackers on the field and relies on one of his safeties to step up at the position, which means the Cowboys can afford to go leaner at linebacker and perhaps open up a spot elsewhere on the roster for a position that requires more depth.
If Dallas considers dropping one linebacker, it may very well be Devin Harper, the Cowboys' 2022 sixth-rounder. Harper has contributed more on special teams during his brief time in the league, but in this training camp, his minor role could be easily usurped by others.
Leighton Vander Esch and Damone Clark are easy lock-ins. Jabril Cox and DeMarvion Overshown both have high ceilings and particularly thrive in coverage; UDFA Isaiah Land holds an edge with his skills as a blitzer.
That leaves Devin Harper as the odd man out. Barring an incredible camp from the Oklahoma hard-hitter, Harper's time in Dallas may be very short-lived.
Cowboys' training camp cut candidate No. 2: Jourdan Lewis, CB
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis suffered a brutal Lisfranc injury that saw him miss the majority of the 2022 season. As unfortunate as it is, Lewis' chunk of missed playing time could be the reason he gets booted out of Dallas this camp.
Lewis has served as a worthy defender for the Cowboys for the last six years, allowing an opposing passer rating of 74.2 in six regular season games this past season.
Yet when Lewis got injured, 2022 fifth-rounder DaRon Bland stepped up and took over the starting nickel role while also filling in wherever he was needed. Bland proved himself worthy of the starting job, making it that much harder for Lewis to win it back.
If Lewis doesn't fully recover from his foot injury, his time in Dallas could be up, as the Cowboys may want to prioritize glittering potential over a rehabbing vet like Lewis, who also happens to be entering the final year of his contract. Given the Cowboys' unparalleled talent in their defensive back room, Dallas can afford to let go of a productive albeit aging player and save $4.7 million in cap space in the process.
Cowboys' training camp cut candidate No. 1: Dante Fowler, DE
Like their defensive back room, the Cowboys' edge-rushing room also appears to be a tremendous strength heading into the 2023 season.
The Cowboys recently added failed Colts project Ben Banogu to a stacked defensive end unit of Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, Dorance Armstrong, and others. Dallas coaches will have a tall task in trying to trim away the fat in the pass-rushing corps this camp, but if it's a player trending downward they're looking for, they may look no further than vet Dante Fowler.
Compared to younger, sprier guys in the group, the 28-year-old Fowler has bounced around as many as four teams in the league and could be losing his edge. Fowler recorded six sacks in 2022, his highest total since he got 11.5 in 2019 from the Rams; however, it's not like his peers are slacking.
Armstrong is coming off his most productive season and is three years younger. Williams, a recent second-round pick by the Cowboys, may be afforded more time to develop. Banogu, the wild card of the bunch, possesses the athleticism and explosive speed to shine in Dan Quinn's defense.
Everyone in this group is moving on up, progressing in some way — except for Fowler. The Cowboys may chalk up Fowler's 2022 six-sack campaign as an anomaly and nothing more.