FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have to reach 53 players two days earlier than usual this year, and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that the process itself does not change.
Dallas will play Friday, come in early Saturday, and go back through the film on players in contested position battles before the meeting starts.
“The process is still the same. We do it the way we do it,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ll play the game on Friday, and we’ll get in here early on Saturday, and we’ll blink the film for some of those last looks with some of these guys that are in contested or heated position battles. And we’ll have a meeting, and we’ll dissect a lot of different things, and we’ll start with one side of the ball or the other, and we’ll debate, and then we’ll take a break and we’ll come back and we’ll debate some more and talk about different things, and of course your phone starts to ring and people start calling about different things.”
Schottenheimer compared it to the way the Cowboys run the draft process, and said the last step is a decision the building signs off on together.
“At the end of the day, it’s no different than how we do the draft process,” Schottenheimer explained. “Long conversations but real conversations, hard conversations, disagreements, discussions, and then, hey, this is what the Dallas Cowboys are doing in 2026 with final cuts.”
The Conversations That Follow The Cuts
The hardest part comes after that, when the players come in and are told their dream is not over but might not be in Dallas this year. Schottenheimer said he is certain the players Dallas moves on from will find homes elsewhere.
Rosters must be at 53 players by 5 p.m. CT Sunday, Aug. 30. The league normally sets the deadline on a Tuesday. Waiver claims are due at noon CT Monday, Aug. 31, which leaves Dallas roughly 19 hours between its own deadline and the claim window.
Friday’s Finale And The Dallas Cowboys Roster Timeline
Friday’s finale against New Orleans kicks off at 7 p.m. CT at AT&T Stadium and airs on CBS locally. Dallas sat 29 players in the 34-13 win at Arizona on Aug. 22 and is 2-0 this preseason after a 17-7 win at Seattle on Aug. 15.
Tuesday and Wednesday nights at The Star were the last two camp practices, both open to fans. Five players sat out Tuesday and three sat out Wednesday. Dallas spent the first three weeks of camp at River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California, and returned to Frisco on Aug. 24.
Dallas has seven draft picks from the 2026 class on the roster, including Caleb Downs at No. 11 overall, Malachi Lawrence at No. 23, and Jaishawn Barham at No. 92. Three fourth-round picks followed: Drew Shelton at No. 112, Devin Moore at No. 114, and LT Overton at No. 137. Wide receiver Anthony Smith went in the seventh round at No. 218. Dallas finished 7-9-1 last season and second in the NFC East. The Cowboys open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13, at the New York Giants at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
