Cowboys Make Their Final Cuts

The Dallas Cowboys have made their final cuts and now have their 53-man roster set for the season. As usual, there were a few surprises among the players cut, and among those remaining. For the first time that I can remember, the Cowboys have kept three kickers - McBriar to punt, Vanderjagt to kick field goals, and Suisham to kick off [and kick field goals if Vanderjagt doesn't start kicking better].

The wide receiver position also received some new faces. I expected Jamaica Rector and Sam Hurd to make the team. They have been playing very well, and were the Cowboys leading receivers in preseason. The surprise came when the Cowboys cut Terrance Copper and kept undrafted free-agent Miles Austin.

On the offensive line, rookie Pat McQuistan showed enough promise in preseason to be kept on the team. However, the starting right tackle for all of last season, Rob Petitti, was cut. That was a surprise to me.

Three other rookies, Abram Elam [safety], Jason Hatcher [defensive end] and Oliver Hoyte [linebacker], played their way on to the team during preseason. I figured Elam and Hatcher had earned a spot, but Hoyte was a surprise.

Two of this year's drafted players were cut - Skyler Green and Montavious Stanley. Green had been drafted to run back kicks, but never showed in the preseason that he could do the job. Stanley was a nose tackle. Here is a complete list of the players cut from the team:

Rob Petitti - offensive tackle
Terrance Copper - wide receiver
Montavious Stanley - nose guard
Matt Baker - quarterback
Skyler Green - kick returner
Rocky Boiman - linebacker
Damarius Bilbo - wide receiver
Matt Tarullo - center
Dennis Roland - offensive tackle
Willie Pile - safety
Keylon Kincade - running back
Stephen Bowen - defensive end
Tony Curtis - tight end
Junior Glymph - linebacker
D'Anthony Batiste - offensive lineman

So, the team is set. The first game is September 10th at Jacksonville. I can hardly wait.

NOTE - The NFL has notified the Dallas Cowboys that safety Marcus Coleman has been suspended, and cannot play in the first four games of the season. He was suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy.