The Cowboys have satisfied the NFL’s 75-man roster limit, releasing some players and moving others to injury lists. Here is a summary courtesy of one of the team’s staff writers:
PLAYERS WAIVED
WR Rodney Smith
WR Richard Mullaney
G Mike McQueen
G Dan Buchholz
CB Arjen Colquhoun (injured)
LB Henoc Muamba (injured)
OTHER MOVES
– QB Kellen Moore moved to Injured Reserve
– TE James Hanna moved to Reserve/PUP
– LB Jaylon Smith moved to Reserve/NFI
There are no surprises here. Nobody expected Kellen Moore to be on the active roster after his lower leg fracture. He could, of course, be brought off IR at some point this season if Dallas wants to use their one-time exemption on him.
The PUP and NFI designations for James Hanna and Jaylon Smith mean that they will miss at least first six weeks of the year. This was expected for Smith, the rookie linebacker, back when he was drafted. He may not be able to play at all in 2016.
Hanna came to camp with a knee injury and ended up having a surgery. He will likely return at some point.
As for the waived players, the only surprise might be Rodney Smith. He had a strong showing in last Thursday’s preseason game but apparently his full body of work hasn’t been enough to impress.
The final cuts from 75 to the final 53-man roster are by 4:00 PM EDT this Saturday. Dallas will play their last preseason game this Thursday night against the Houston Texans.
