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A trio of Dallas Cowboys who could be surprise cuts before the regular season

The Cowboys will have some tough decisions as they cut their roster down to 53.

The Dallas Cowboys will have to make some tough decisions as they cut down their 90-man roster to 53 before Week 1.

While we typically have a pretty good idea of who will and won’t make the cut by mid-to-late August, there are always a couple surprises thrown in as well. For example, last year, the Cowboys’ surprisingly cut Haha Clinton-Dix after signing him in free agency just a few months prior.

Who could be that surprise cut this year? Let’s slide into the film room to find out:

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Trysten Hill, DT

Entering his third NFL season and being two defensive coordinators removed from the one who played a large role in drafting him to Dallas in the first place, Trysten Hill is entering the make-or-break portion of his Cowboys career.

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After a poor rookie season where everything was a struggle, Hill looked like a new man in 2020. He was motivated, played hard and made some critical strides in terms of his skill and technique. Sure, he still had some bouts of struggles, but he was finally flashing high-end physical traits while combining it with a high-effort level, which likely gave the Cowboys hope that he could actually develop into the DT they thought he’d be after selecting him in the second round in 2019.

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Unfortunately, a torn ACL in his right knee halted all progress and forced him to miss the last 11 games of the season.

Making matters worse for Hill was the fact that Dallas fired Mike Nolan before hiring Dan Quinn as its latest defensive coordinator, meaning that Hill would once again need to earn the favor of a new coaching staff instead of building on the trust/scheme with the coaching staff from the prior year. Hill will have to do so while battling better competition to make the roster -- the Cowboys added a plethora of interior defensive linemen, including Brent Urban, Carlos Watkins, Osa Odighizuwa, Quinton Bohanna and Austin Faoliu since Quinn was hired -- and learning a new scheme.

If that wasn’t enough, while his teammates are out making first impressions and earning Quinn’s trust on the practice fields during OTAs, Hill has been forced to work on the side as he continues to rehab from the torn ACL, putting him behind the eight-ball in comparison with the other interior defensive linemen he will be competing with for a roster spot.

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While the Cowboys may have spent a high pick on Hill, Quinn hasn’t invested anything, which means it’s unlikely that Hill will be granted the free pass to the 53-man roster that most players selected in the first three rounds get over the span of their rookie contracts.

Therefore, Hill is going to have to earn his spot on the roster the old-fashioned way -- with his play during preseason and on the practice field. It’s going to be tight, so Hill’s going to have to best some functional NFL players like Watkins to make the squad. But with the inconsistency and durability concerns Hill has shown through his first two seasons, he could be one of the surprise cuts as the Cowboys trim the roster.

Terence Steele, OT

From appearing in all 16 games (starting 14 of them) last season to a potential surprise cut candidate this season, it’s amazing how much of a difference a year can make for a youngster like offensive tackle Terence Steele.

Last season was a struggle, to say the least, for Steele after being thrust into the starting lineup. He gave up the third-most pressures in the entire NFL, his technique was sloppy and inconsistent, his aiming points were routinely poor, and he repeatedly made mental mistakes; however, his overall performance can be easily forgiven due to the circumstances that he was an undrafted rookie who wasn’t supposed to sniff the field before injuries plagued Dallas at the tackle spots.

However, with La’el Collins and Tyron Smith back healthy plus the additions of Ty Nsekhe (free agency) and Josh Ball (draft), Steele’s path to make Dallas’ 53-man roster in 2021 is murky, to say the least.

Luckily for Steele, the Cowboys coaching staff and scheme are the same on offense (unlike defense for Hill), so he won’t have to spend his time earning the trust of a new coach or learning a new scheme.

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Nonetheless, even with the familiarity, the Cowboys still opted to add Nsekhe and Ball to the fray, which can’t be a good sign regarding how they feel about Steele. Nsekhe, in my opinion, is a proven commodity who possesses more experience and superior skill to Steele, giving the newcomer a strong advantage in the competition for the reserve tackle spots. Ball, on the other hand, lacks experience and proven skill, which could give Steele the edge in a competition between the two; however, the Cowboys didn’t take him in the fourth round to just cut him a couple of months later.

Therefore, for Steele to make the team, he will either need to outplay Nsekhe during training camp and the preseason (unlikely), or outplay Ball by such a margin that Dallas is fine with cutting Ball or keeping five offensive tackles (slightly more likely given the injuries issues in 2020).

It’s rare that a player goes from starting 14 games one season to not being able to crack the 53-man roster the next, but despite that rarity, there’s a real chance it could happen this year (though Steele would likely just sign to the team’s practice squad shortly thereafter).

Reggie Robinson II, CB

If the Cowboys were doctors, they would have been sued for malpractice with how they handled Reggie Robinson II since he was acquired. Drafted as a cornerback, the Cowboys moved Robinson to safety during camp last year -- a move that made no sense even at the time. Then, after spending the rest of 2020 learning how to play safety, the Cowboys fired Nolan and hired Quinn, who then moved Robinson back to cornerback.

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It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how that can negatively impact a player’s career, especially one who’s so young and technically raw. Just look at how the constant position changes affected Tyrone Crawford’s career, as he was a young, ascending defensive linemen before being flip-flopped between defensive end and defensive tackle for multiple years diminished his effectiveness.

Fortunately for Robinson, the switch back to cornerback means he’s playing his most natural position in a scheme that best fits his skill set. At 6-1 and 205 pounds with 31 1/2-inch arms and a 4.44 40, Robinson fits the long, fast and physical mold that Quinn values. Robinson was a press-man bully in college who had plus ball skills and could also thrive in Cover 3 (Quinn’s base coverage call).

However, Robinson will have some stiff competition muddying his path to make the 53-man roster. Nos. 1-5 on Dallas’ CB depth chart are essentially accounted for at this point between Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright due to skill or draft status, leaving Robinson to vie for the sixth and likely final, CB spot on the roster.

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Robinson’s biggest competition for that CB spot will likely be Deante Burton and Maurice Canady, who I told y’all in May could sneak on to the regular season roster. And then there’s CJ Goodwin, who is really just a special teamer but spends his non-ST time in the CB room. I don’t personally count Goodwin as a CB, but that doesn’t mean the Cowboys don’t, and if they see him as a CB, would they keep “seven” CBs on the 53-man roster? Only time will tell.

What we do know is Robinson will need to play well during the preseason and training camp to make the roster, and if he doesn’t, he could be one of the Cowboys’ surprise cuts before Week 1 this year.

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