{"id":171967,"date":"2025-08-24T15:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T15:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/171967\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T15:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T15:07:10","slug":"dallas-cowboys-biggest-losers-of-nfl-preseason-from-former-1st-rounder-to-pro-bowl-rb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/171967\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys biggest losers of NFL preseason from former 1st-rounder to Pro Bowl RB"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys <\/a>have the 2025 NFL <\/a>preseason in the rear-view mirror and are now preparing to make very difficult decisions before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline to cut down to a 53-man roster for the regular season. <\/p>\n

Throughout the preseason, players have an opportunity to prove they are deserving of a roster spot with standout or even consistent play, while others watch the opportunities fall through their fingertips. <\/p>\n

MORE: <\/strong>Cowboys biggest winners of NFL preseason from FA steal to powerhouse rookie<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This year, it’s no different. From a former first-round pick to a former Pro Bowl running back signed in the offseason, the preseason brought Cowboys fans a handful of disappointments. <\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at the biggest losers ahead of final roster cuts.<\/p>\n

Most inconsistent: Mazi Smith\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. \/ Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Mazi Smith<\/a> needed a strong training camp and preseason to erase the narrative that the former first-round pick was a bust. Unfortunately for Smith, he once again struggled with inconsistency. <\/p>\n

Even in practice, Smith could be seen getting pushed around the field by offensive linemen, shoved out of running lanes, and failing to anchor down like you would expect from a 1tech. <\/p>\n

MORE: <\/strong>Mazi Smith gets brutally honest on poor performance in Cowboys’ preseason opener<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Smith even acknowledged his own poor performances. <\/p>\n

The former Michigan Wolverines<\/a> star is likely on the roster bubble after seeing significant time in the preseason finale, which would be a disappointing fall from grace. <\/p>\n

\"Baltimore<\/p>\n

Baltimore Ravens linebackers Teddye Buchanan and Mike Green tackle Dallas Cowboys running back Miles Sanders \/ Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Cowboys signed Miles Sanders<\/a> during the offseason, and he had every opportunity to earn the starting job. Entering training camp without a clear-cut RB1, the job was wide open, but Sanders was never able to establish himself as a serviceable option. <\/p>\n

Sanders notched just 7 carries for 15 yards, averaging 2.1 yards per carry throughout the preseason. <\/p>\n

MORE: <\/strong>Cowboys must cut oft-injured veteran RB to keep Phil Mafah on 53-man roster<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2022 Pro Bowler was held out of Friday’s preseason finale due to a shoulder injury. Injuries have been a theme for Sanders throughout camp and his entire NFL career, so his unavailability also adds to the blown opportunity. <\/p>\n

In his absence, fellow veteran Javonte Williams <\/a>took a firm grasp of the RB1 job, rookie Jaydon Blue<\/a> flashed brilliance on the field, and even Phil Mafah<\/a> and Deuce Vaughn<\/a> showed flashes of brilliance on the field. Sanders now finds himself squarely on the roster bubble ahead of final cuts. <\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones waves to fans before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. \/ Melina Myers-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The more things change, the more they stay the same, so Cowboys fans shouldn’t be surprised by Jerry Jones’ handling of the Micah Parsons contract debacle<\/a>. Sure, the team looked like it was changing its ways by making splash trades in the offseason and being surprisingly active in free agency, but that’s where the changes ended. <\/p>\n

Once again, the team entered training camp with a superstar on the sideline due to a contract situation. And now, with the preseason over, there is still no answer. <\/p>\n

MORE: <\/strong>3x Super Bowl champion rips Cowboys as ‘Jaguars with better marketing’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

To add to the frustration of Cowboys Nation, Jones doesn’t seem to care. He’s been on a media tour promoting the Netflix docuseries, ripping Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta <\/a>in public, and showing no urgency to get a deal done. <\/p>\n

It’s unfortunate that things got to this point because it never should have been that way, but now, the only way for Jones to gain any sort of favor is to get Parsons on the field for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> by opening the checkbook. <\/p>\n

\u2014 <\/strong>Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI <\/strong><\/a>\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dallas Cowboys final 53-man roster prediction following preseason finale<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

3 players Dallas Cowboys can’t afford to leave off the 53-man roster<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cowboys must cut oft-injured veteran RB to keep Phil Mafah on 53-man roster<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Micah Parsons’ viral table incident to be handled by Cowboys ‘internally’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTOS: Brenley Herrera, viral Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader rookie <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys have the 2025 NFL preseason in the rear-view mirror and are now preparing to make…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":171968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-171967","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-texas","11":"tag-tx","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-united-states-of-america","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115084371151014172","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}