Dallas Cowboys training camp could be the end of the line for these cut candidates.
For both good and bad reasons, Dallas Cowboys training camp will be a bit of a circus after the 2020 offseason that they’ve gone through.
The Dak Prescott saga, which is on the chapter of the quarterback now playing on the franchise tag this year after the team failed to ink him to a long-term deal, will continue forward. Meanwhile, focus will be put on replacing some lost key contributors, namely Byron Jones and Robert Quinn. On a positive note, though, everyone is ready to see rookie wide receiver CeeDee Lamb get to work, the same of which can be said of new head coach Mike McCarthy.
But as Cowboys training camp is set to begin on July 28 with the rest of the league in this truncated offseason, it will be a massive proving ground. That’s especially true since there won’t be any preseason games. Knowing that and looking at the construction of the camp roster, we can start to project who might be the tough cut decisions when the time comes.
Specifically, these five players on the roster bubble could be cut at the conclusion of Dallas Cowboys training camp prior to the 2020 NFL season.
5. TE Cole Hikutini could be cut by the Dallas Cowboys
Whenever Cole Hikutini was coming out of Louisville in the 2017 NFL Draft, he was a player who many people were, at the very least, intrigued by. He ended up going undrafted but landed with the San Francisco 49ers, appearing in four games as a rookie, registering three targets with two receptions for 15 yards before landing on injured reserve.
Since then, Hikutini has been exclusively on practice squads, spending the 2018 season in Minnesota and last year with Dallas in that capacity. But with the departure of veteran Jason Witten (again) this offseason, there are some who believe that Hikutini could potentially enter the fold as a depth option behind Blake Jarwin and Blake Bell, the likely top two tight ends on the depth chart.
There’s no question that Hikutini has far more natural ability as a pass-catcher than 2018 fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz, who has shown very little in that regard. However, the same too can be said of Charlie Taumpoepeau, an undrafted free agent signing from this year’s class. More importantly, though, Hikutini’s blocking remains a concern.
Though we’re looking at a new offense under Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore, Dallas is still going to value the run game since they have Ezekiel Elliott, which means they’ll also value run-blocking. That gives Schultz the edge and will likely leave Hikutini — and Charlie T, for that matter — outside the 53-man roster.