Dallas Cowboys trim roster to 53, cut Will Grier and Deuce Vaughn with few surprises
The Dallas Cowboys made final roster cuts Tuesday afternoon, trimming down to the league-mandated 53 players. As expected, there were a few surprises.
One of the most notable moves was the release of veteran quarterback Will Grier. That leaves Dak Prescott and rookie Joe Milton as the only quarterbacks currently on the active roster.
The team also released offensive lineman La'el Collins, ending his second stint with the Cowboys.
Deuce Vaughn waived, could return
Another headline-making move was the waiving of Deuce Vaughn, the 5-foot-5 running back and former sixth-round draft pick. Vaughn, drafted two years ago, could still return to the team if he clears waivers. He's considered a strong candidate for the Cowboys' practice squad.
Despite Vaughn's release, Dallas is keeping five running backs: veterans Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders and Hunter Luepke, along with rookie draft picks Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.
"[I] had a great conversation with Deuce," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "Such an incredible young man. Damn good football player. So those are the hard ones. But again, you have real conversations. You sit down and say, 'Hey, look, at this point, this is about what's in the best interest of you, Deuce, and sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing.'
"And if that's what he decides, we certainly support that in terms of how the practice squad plays itself out. I could not speak enough great things about Deuce and the type of football player he is."
Richards traded, Diggs activated
In addition to the cuts, the Cowboys traded offensive lineman Asim Richards to the New Orleans Saints for compensation. Cornerback Trevon Diggs was moved from the physically unable to perform list to the active roster, signaling he could be available for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
38 total moves made Tuesday
In total, the Cowboys made 38 roster moves to comply with the NFL's 53-man roster requirement. The breakdown includes:
- 1 trade (Asim Richards to the Saints)
- 13 players released
- 18 players waived
- 1 waived/injured
- 2 placed on injured reserve (designated to return)
- 3 placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) or NFI (Non-Football Injury/Illness) lists
Complete list of roster moves
Traded (1):
- Asim Richards (Saints), OL
Released (13):
- La'el Collins, OL
- Saahdiq Charles, OL
- Geron Christian, OL
- Hakeem Adeniji, OL
- Israel Mukuamu, CB
- Earnest Brown IV, DL
- C.J. Goodwin, CB
- Michael Ojemudia, CB
- Robert Rochell, CB
- Will Grier, QB
- Kemon Hall, CB
- Darius Harris, LB
- Buddy Johnson, LB
Waived (18):
- Deuce Vaughn, RB
- Nick Broeker, OL
- Denzel Daxon, DT
- Tommy Akingbesote, DT
- Josh Kelly, WR
- Traeshon Holden, WR
- Jalen Cropper, WR
- Jalen Brooks, WR
- Princeton Fant, TE
- John Stephens Jr., TE
- Rivaldo Fairweather, TE
- Tyler Neville, TE
- Troy Pride, CB
- Mike Smith, S
- Alijah Clark, S
- Justin Barron, LB
- Malik Davis, RB
- Tyrus Wheat, DE
Waived/injured (1):
- Christian Matthew, CB
Injured reserve – designated to return (2):
- Payton Turner (ribs), DE
- Jonathan Mingo (knee), WR
PUP/NFI list (3):
- DeMarvion Overshown, LB
- Shavon Revel, CB
- Josh Butler, CB