Cowboys 3 Surprise Cut Candidates: Jabril Cox, Kelvin Joseph & Tony Pollard Backup?
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys believe they have a loaded roster. Is it so loaded that they are prepared to dump a trio of "name'' players?
Linebacker Jabril Cox is coming off a terrific minicamp. Defensive back Kelvin Joseph is receiving praise from head coach Mike McCarthy. And running back Ronald Jones was brought here just as Ezekiel Elliott was shown the door, a suggestion of a plan for the Super Bowl vet.
But on 105.3 The Fan’s “Love of the Star” podcast, those three names/position groups popped up when the subject turned to names to watch when it comes to potential attention-getting cuts. Our thoughts ...
CUT ROJO? We certainly see the argument about the running back room. Tony Pollard is locked in up top; sources inside The Star tell CowboysSI.com that there is "100-percent'' belief that rookie Deuce Vaughn will be retained. So Jones is in a battle with young incumbents Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle for a job. (This is not to mention UDFA rookie fullback Hunter Luepke.)
So yes, Jones is a cut candidate. And it would be a "headline'' without being a "surprise.''
CUT JOSEPH? In Dallas' perfect world, the 2021 second-round pick Joseph would be a starter by now opposite Trevon Diggs. He hasn't played to that level, as last year he played poorly at corner (though to his credit learned to contribute on special teams, which was new to him before he arrived in Dallas).
But now? New vet Stephon Gilmore is the other starter. Second-year playmaker DaRon Bland is the top slot corner. And Joseph finds himself being moved positionally.
McCarthy made that sound like a positive, saying, “You can see his heightened awareness. There’s nothing he can’t do physically but I think the understanding of going in and playing Nickel and what I like is I think it has made him better outside.”
But Joseph - trying to fix a reputation regarding his behavioral issues - didn't get moved from boundary corner as a reward; he got moved because he wasn't good enough at corner, with even late-round rookie Eric Scott Jr. moving ahead of him on the depth chart this spring.
Teams don't like to cut guys on affordable rookie contracts, and there is no financial advantage to doing so with Joseph, who makes around $2 million APY for the next two seasons.
But yes, in the end, Kelvin Joseph is a cut candidate. And it would be both a "headline'' and a "mild surprise.''
CUT COX? Jabril Cox "in jeopardy''? This is the one we don't see at all. When Cox fell to the fourth round in 2021, Dallas felt it got a steal. Injury issues have been his blockade. But during the recent minicamp, Cox recorded two consecutive pass-defense knock-downs in a goal-line stand, and was then swarmed by his teammates in celebration.
They were celebrating his plays. But they were also celebrating his comeback.
Cox is slated to have a $940,000 salary in 2023. Again, that alone counts as a reason to keep him. But with Micah Parsons playing more end, Leighton Vander Esch is the top full-time linebacker, with Damone Clark alongside. Cox is chasing fellow LSU guy Clark, and nobody at this time is chasing Cox.
We still think he has a chance to be a rotational starter and a force on special teams, so no, we don't see Cox as a cut candidate ... and it would therefore be worth a "headline'' and a "shocker'' if the Cowboys dumped him.
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