That is a sentiment that has been shared with fans over and over as executive vice president, CEO, and director of player personnel, Stephen Jones, explains to everyone why they are not aggressive in acquiring players outside their organization.
Every team likes its guys. That’s why they’re their guys. But the Cowboys take it to a whole other level. For Dallas, “their guys” largely consist of players they have drafted. All the work Will McClay and the scouting department put into the draft process generates a love for certain players that the Cowboys have a difficult time parting ways with. And the data backs this up.
Over the previous five drafts, there have only been two players out of 43 who did not survive roster cutdowns. Those two players were John Ridgeway in 2022 and Justin Rogers last year. Both were defensive tackles. Both also signed with other teams. Ridgeway was a guy fans were upset about being subjected to waivers, as he was quickly scooped up by the Washington Commanders.
Rogers didn’t make the final cuts last year and was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad, but in December, the Cowboys poached him from Cincy and added him to their active roster. Rogers never played a game for the Cowboys, but even when they supposedly give up on one of their players, they bring him back.
If you go back a full 10 years, there is a total of nine draft picks (89%) who didn’t make the initial 53-man roster. Joining Ridgeway and Rogers are DE Jalen Jelks (2019), RB Mike Weber (2019), RB Bo Scarbrough (2018), DT Joey Ivie (2017), DT Jordan Carrell (2017), TE Rico Gathers (2016), and OL Laurence Gibson (2015).
Playing the law of averages with such a high keep rate would suggest that the Cowboys would only release one of their draft picks. Looking at all the roster battles, that did not seem very likely. All the players from the first five rounds seemed extremely safe, as those players who were able to show them something only solidified the team’s belief in them. However, their four guys taken after the first 200 picks in the draft were all in heated roster battles, and their outlook did not look so promising.
Oregon offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius survived the cuts despite the team being deeper along the offensive line than they’ve been in years. They were so deep that the Cowboys even turned a would-be roster cut into a future sixth-round draft pick by trading Asim Richards to the New Orleans Saints. Cornelius even beat out two veteran free agents who were signed, Hakeen Adeniji and Saahdiq Charles, both of whom were very solid in preseason action. The Cowboys love the upside of Cornelius, who also comes with four years of low-cost team control compared to the one-and-done with the veteran free agents.
UCLA defensive tackle Jay Toia managed to make the team despite them also keeping Perrion Winfrey, forcing them to go long at the position. Toia has been pushed around a bit, and it’s clear he needs a lot of work before being thrust into the trenches, but the Cowboys want to see where this can go.
Clemson running back Phil Mafah became a fan favorite during the preseason with his physical running style, but whispers within the clubhouse indicated the team wanted to hang on to veteran Miles Sanders. Instead of choosing between them, the team is keeping both, with the rookie starting the year on injured reserve/designated to return.
Maryland defensive tackle Tommy Akingbesote is the only draft pick this year who didn’t make the team. He was never able to gain any traction, and despite this position group not being particularly strong, there were too many guys ahead of him in ability.
Right on cue, the Cowboys stayed true to their 89% keep rate and kept 8/9 draft picks (88.8%). While this is right on brand for them, the good news is, they also pulled the plug on some of their other draft picks who haven’t panned out in favor of outside guys they signed who played extremely well. Preseason standouts Perrion Winfrey and James Houston are sticking around. To make room for them, they had to say goodbye to some young guys who fought hard and were great locker room guys, but just didn’t have the talent to justify keeping. Players like Deuce Vaughn, Jalen Brooks, and (UDFA) Tyrus Wheat all survived at the bottom for at least two seasons, but there wasn’t a third.
This change is refreshing. Of course, Will McClay and his scouting department want to give their recent finds every opportunity to succeed, but there appears to be some new compromise to only extend that olive branch so far and create opportunities for other guys who can be difference makers on this roster.