Brian Schottenheimer makes bold decisions in Cowboys’ final roster cuts

On Tuesday, all 32 NFL teams scrambled to submit their cuts ahead of the league’s cut deadline. By 4 p.m. ET, all teams needed to trim their roster to 53 players.

This season was the first that Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer ever experienced roster cut day, and he spoke on some of the challenges.

Schottenheimer explains his toughest Cowboys roster decisions

The Dallas Cowboys officially trimmed their roster to 53 players ahead of the 2025 season, marking Brian Schottenheimer’s first roster cutdown as head coach. Schottenheimer emphasized the difficulty of the process, noting his commitment to giving players honest feedback whether they made the team or not.

“It was hard to sit down in front of those guys and be honest and tell them the why, tell them the things they do well, tell them the areas that they can improve,” Schottenheimer said. “I think that’s important because anytime you have those hard conversations, whether they’re back or not back… they hopefully can use a thing that they’re given the feedback about to improve themselves as a player.”

Among those making the roster were defensive tackle Mazi Smith, who was challenged to be more consistent despite his first-round pedigree, and James Houston, a training camp standout who earned a spot after dominating in pass-rushing drills. Undrafted rookie Zion Childress also impressed enough to land a role in the secondary, while wide receiver Ryan Flournoy edged out Jalen Brooks thanks to his strong play on special teams.

Schottenheimer also hinted at a rotational approach in the running back room, praising both veterans and rookies alike. Still, the Cowboys stressed that roster construction is ongoing, with waiver claims and potential adjustments expected in the coming days.

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