The Dallas Cowboys have officially begun mandatory minicamp as nearly 100 players begin working to make the official roster.
NFL teams will eventually start cutting players to reach the 53-man maximum for the official roster, with these early workouts helping to separate different groups of players.
Although roster cutdowns will not occur for over two months, players must begin making a name for themselves early to secure their spots on the gameday roster.
With that in mind, here are official predictions from The Dallas Express on the Cowboys’ offensive depth chart heading into next season:
Quarterback:
QB1: Dak Prescott
QB2: Joe Milton
QB3: Will Grier
The quarterback position is pretty straightforward for the Cowboys entering the 2025 season, with Prescott being the clear option as the team’s starter on the 53-man roster.
Prescott is entering his 10th season as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback and will once again have the chance to make real noise as one of the best players in the league throughout the season.
Following Prescott, there is a slight quarterback battle between Milton and Grier, but Milton is widely expected to come out of this battle on top.
Milton was acquired by the Cowboys through a trade and has performed well throughout the offseason workouts, indicating that he should slide into the backup quarterback role without much of an issue.
Finally, Grier should manage to claim the third quarterback spot on the roster, which is rarely used in the NFL but is important in the event that both Prescott and Milton suffer injuries in the same game.
Running Back:
RB1: Javonte Williams
RB2: Jaydon Blue
RB3: Miles Sanders
RB4: Phil Mafah
The Cowboys’ biggest concerns on offense come at the running back position, where Sanders is entering as the heavy favorite to begin the season as the main option.
Dallas signed Sanders in free agency and is expected to utilize the experienced running back early in the season.
Sanders has the potential for a bounce-back year after a difficult 2024 season with the Denver Broncos, though any struggles could result in the team moving on to another option at the position.
Regardless, these predictions are for the start of the season, where Sanders holds a clear lead in this position.
Blue is currently slated to enter the season as the Cowboys’ secondary option at running back, with the rookie possessing impressive speed and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
These attributes should help him claim the second running back spot and could eventually move him to first on the depth chart.
Sanders should fill in that third running back spot well. He is a solid option who can provide a different look during select moments in the game.
However, Sanders does not possess the speed or size to be used consistently in the game, meaning he will likely stay at the third spot for the majority of the regular season barring any injuries.
Finally, the fourth running back spot was between Mafah and Deuce Vaughn, who is entering his third season with the Cowboys.
The biggest difference in this competition will likely come from Mafah’s size: he is 6-foot-1-inch tall and 234 pounds, meaning he holds immense value as a goal-line running back who can punch in short-yardage gains.
In comparison, Vaughn is just 5-foot-6-inches tall and 176 pounds, meaning he would struggle in similar scenarios.
Vaughn has also seen very few snaps over the past few seasons and possesses the same skillset as Blue, making Mafah the better choice for the final running back spot.
Wide Receiver:
WR1: CeeDee Lamb
WR2: George Pickens
WR3: Jalen Tolbert
WR4: Jonathan Mingo
WR5: Kavontae Turpin
WR6: Ryan Flournoy
The top of this position is incredibly straightforward, with Lamb and Pickens standing out as the two top receivers on the team.
Lamb is a top-five wide receiver in the NFL, and Pickens is one of the best second options in the league, making those two slots easy to determine.
Following these two players, the depth chart becomes murky, with nearly each of the other four players having some claim to the third or fourth spot in some manner.
Tolbert put together a solid season in 2024 as the team’s second option despite Prescott missing significant time with injury, finishing last season with 610 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Tolbert’s experience, chemistry, and growth should be enough to keep him the team’s third option heading into next season.
The fourth slot will then be filled by Mingo, who has struggled in the first two seasons of his career but has the potential to become a meaningful contributor to this team next season.
Mingo has reportedly played well during offseason workouts and should easily claim that fourth receiving spot on the roster.
Realistically, Dallas spending a fourth-round pick on Mingo also helps his chances of making the roster in some manner.
Finally, Turpin and Flournoy will fill the last two spots, as they each have specific roster roles.
Turpin is one of the best kick and punt returners in the league and is nearly a lock to make the roster in some way, though he may not see the field on the offensive side of the ball too frequently.
Flournoy is still young and is entering his second season in the NFL, but his impressive size should allow him to remain on the roster if he commits to blocking well and doing the small stuff to get on the field.
Tight End:
TE1: Jake Ferguson
TE2: Brevyn Spann-Ford
TE3: Luke Schoonmaker
Ferguson will likely enter the 2025 season as TE1, but there are still reasons to be concerned about the former Pro Bowl tight end.
Ferguson saw a decrease in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in the 2024 season while finishing with a career high of four fumbles.
While a large portion of this could be attributed to Prescott missing the majority of the season, Ferguson also struggled to find a rhythm early in the season when Prescott was fully healthy.
Combine these concerns with reports that Spann-Ford has been spending time with the first group on offense, and there is reason to believe that Ferguson is not the team’s main option at the position.
However, Ferguson is just one season removed from 761 receiving yards and five touchdowns, with the potential for a bounce-back season in sight for the fourth-year tight end.
Spann-Ford is currently looking like the team’s second option at the tight end position, with Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writing that he has been “one of the consistent standouts” at practices.
Dallas is unlikely to make a meaningful change to the depth chart leading into the season, but there is a chance that Spann-Ford will take over as TE1 by midway through the 2025 season.
Finally, Schoonmaker is the clear option for the Cowboys’ third tight end, as the team does not have many options other than these three players at the position.
Schoonmaker has dealt with significant injuries over the past few seasons but is still a solid option for a team’s third tight end. He is a serviceable receiver and has shown an ability to consistently block and make small plays to help win games.
Offensive Line:
LT1: Tyler Guyton
LG1: Tyler Smith
C1: Cooper Beebe
RG1: Tyler Booker
RT1: Terrence Steele
OL2: Brock Hoffman
OL2: T.J. Bass
OL3: Robert Jones
OL3: Asim Richards
Outside of the first unit on the offensive line, the Cowboys have a group of players who can bounce around multiple positions.
Dallas will likely have nine offensive linemen on the 53-man roster next season, with versatility standing out as the coaching staff’s key attribute.
The first five on the offensive line, Guyton, Smith, Beebe, Booker, and Steele, seem pretty set as a group that can compete against many of the best defensive lines in the league.
There are still major questions along that first unit, but each of those players has either been a starter for this team in the past or, in Booker’s case, was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the draft.
Outside of that first unit, the Cowboys have Hoffman and Bass to fill in for any players who cannot play for specific games or snaps.
Hoffman started seven games for the Cowboys to end last season and should start the season as the preferred backup for any position along the interior offensive line.
Similarly, Bass started multiple games for the Cowboys in 2023 and was an integral part of the unit in 2024, making him the clear choice as the team’s secondary preferred player in the event of injuries.
Finally, Jones signed a contract with the Cowboys this offseason, and Richards is under contract for two more seasons, giving each of these players a good chance to make the official 53-man roster.