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David Moore’s Cowboys 53-man roster projection: Mike McCarthy has difficult calls to make

When the Cowboys roster is announced Tuesday afternoon, consider it a living, breathing document more than a final draft.

Mike McCarthy was on the phone the moment after he was told the Cowboys had acquired Trey Lance.

Will Grier was on the other end. The head coach wanted the backup quarterback to know that Saturday’s preseason game against Las Vegas would be his last in a Cowboys uniform due to the deal.

Grier completed 29 of 35 passes for 305 yards, rushed for another 53 yards and generated four touchdowns in the team’s win over the Raiders. Afterward, McCarthy spoke of how proud he was of Grier and said it might have been the best preseason performance he’s seen from a quarterback since Matt Hasselbeck 24 years ago.

“He said that?’’ Grier asked when told of the comment after the game.

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“I love Mike McCarthy.’’

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McCarthy will have more of these conversations than he wants in the coming hours. Dallas must cut its roster to 53 players along with every other team in the NFL by Tuesday afternoon. It’s an anxious time.

“This is probably the worst 72 hours of the job,’’ McCarthy said immediately after the final preseason game. “That’s what’s in front of us.’’

When the Cowboys roster is announced Tuesday afternoon, consider it a living, breathing document more than a final draft. You can guarantee it won’t be the same when the team takes the field against the New York Giants to open the season on Sept. 10.

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Quarterbacks (3)

Dak Prescott

Cooper Rush

Trey Lance

The Cowboys’ intention before trading for Lance was to have only two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster and stash the third on the practice squad. That’s out the window now. It also means the club will have to trim a spot from another position.

Running backs (3)

Tony Pollard

Rico Dowdle

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Deuce Vaughn

This is likely the position that gets a trim from Lance’s arrival. The goal in this scenario will be to get Malik Davis and rookie Hunter Luepke through to the practice squad. That shouldn’t be an issue for Luepke.

Tight ends (4)

Jake Ferguson

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Luke Schoonmaker

Peyton Hendershot

Sean McKeon

Are there players better than McKeon that will fail to make the roster? Sure. So why not go three here? Because McKeon is a valuable, jack-of-all-trades player. There are so many packages with three tight ends in the offense that the Cowboys can’t go short here.

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Wide receivers (6)

CeeDee Lamb

Brandin Cooks

Michael Gallup

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Jalen Tolbert

KaVontae Turpin

Jalen Brooks

The first five are set. Brooks gets the edge for that final spot because of his consistency during camp and the threat he appears to be in the red zone. If the decision is to go five here Dallas will desperately want to get Brooks to the practice squad.

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Offensive line (9)

Tyron Smith

Tyler Smith

Tyler Biadasz

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Zack Martin

Terence Steele

Matt Waletzko

Chuma Edoga

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Asim Richards

T.J. Bass

An argument can be made to go 10 here since there’s not a defined backup center. Go with Matt Farniok over Brock Hoffman in that case. But will it be easier to get Farniok to the practice squad or receiver Jalen Brooks? The hip injury that will keep Josh Ball out for a couple of months opens the door for T.J. Bass, who was a strong contender to make the initial roster anyway.

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Defensive line (10)

DeMarcus Lawrence

Osa Odighizuwa

Johnathan Hankins

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Sam Williams

Dorance Armstrong

Dante Fowler

Mazi Smith

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Viliami Fehoko

Neville Gallimore

Chauncey Golston

There are some tough decisions here. Fehoko hasn’t done much yet, but the coaching staff is high on him and he’s a fourth-round pick. The team won’t keep more than three nose tackles, and the fact Quinton Bohanna was playing deep into the final preseason game isn’t a good sign for him. It wouldn’t be a shock if the defensive staff goes with undrafted rookie Isaiah Land over Golston.

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Linebackers (5)

Micah Parsons

Damone Clark

Devin Harper

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Leighton Vander Esch

Markquese Bell

Rookie DeMarvion Overshown was a lock here before his season-ending injury. Bell moved from safety into Overshown’s spot last week. Jabril Cox may have run out of time to carve out a spot for himself on this roster.

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Secondary (11)

Trevon Diggs

Stephon Gilmore

Donovan Wilson

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Malik Hooker

Jayron Kearse

DaRon Bland

Israel Mukuamu

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Eric Scott

Juanyeh Thomas

Nahshon Wright

Kelvin Joseph

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The wild card here is Jourdan Lewis, who began training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He’s close to coming back, so close that the Cowboys could put him on the initial 53. If they do, Kelvin Joseph would be the likely casualty. But Joseph has shown enough at the slot in this camp that the club could be comfortable taking its time with Lewis.

Specialists (2)

Brandon Aubrey (kicker)

Bryan Anger (punter)

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The Cowboys didn’t set aside a spot on the initial 53 for a long snapper last year before addressing that spot before the opener. Look for that to happen again with Trent Sieg. The same goes for special teams ace C.J. Goodwin, who will be on this roster opening night even though he probably won’t be there Tuesday.

Catch David Moore on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) with the Musers at 9:35 every morning and the Hardline several times a week at 4:35 p.m. during Cowboys training camp.

Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN

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