Like other teams in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys will have to make some tough cuts before the season starts.
Teams are allowed to carry 90 players on its roster during training camp and will be forced to trim down to 53 players before the start of the season. As Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon writes in his list of “best” players who could be cut from teams before the start of the 2024 season, he mentions defensive lineman Chauncey Golston of the Cowboys.
“The turnover on the defensive line, in theory, is a good thing for Chauncey Golston. Dallas moved on from Johnathan Hankins and Neville Gallimore, vacating plenty of snaps up front,” writes Kenyon. “But the Cowboys will undoubtedly give rookies Justin Rogers and Denzel Daxon a long look.”
Chauncey Golston Has Served as Key Cowboys Backup
The 26-year-old Golston is on the verge of entering his fourth season in Dallas after the team selected him with a third-round draft pick in 2021. While the 6-foot-5 defensive lineman has never been a starter for the Cowboys, he has served as a viable backup during all three of his seasons in Dallas.
Golston has racked up at least 22 tackles in each of the past three seasons while missing just four total games. Golston appeared in 41% of the defensive snaps during the 2021 season before playing 23% of the defensive snaps in 2022 and 29% of the defensive snaps in 2023. The University of Iowa alum is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract.
Through three seasons, Golston holds career totals of 79 tackles and nine quarterback hits to go along with 3.5 sacks in 47 games played and three games started.
According to Pro Football Focus, Golston posted respectable grades across the board, including a 66.8 defensive grade and 75.0 pass-rushing grade, ranking 43rd of 130 qualifying players at his position.
Why Cowboys Could Still Cut Chauncey Golston
However, as Kenyon mentions, the Cowboys do have a number of options along the defensive line, including the addition of seventh-round draft pick Justin Rogers and undrafted free agent Denzel Daxon.
This actually isn’t the first time Golston’s name has been mentioned as a potential cut candidate this offseason. Sayre Bedinger of FanSided also mentioned Golston as a veteran who could lose their roster spot to a rookie back in March.
“When I said earlier that the Cowboys have been loyal to guys, I think Chauncey Golston is a great example,” writes Bedinger. “This is a former third-round pick who has really not done anything of note for the Cowboys, and the team has even had to reload on the defensive line to supplement his lack of development as a former top-100 pick.”
If the Cowboys were to release Golston this offseason, the dead cap hit would be minimal at $233,925. Their cap savings would be $1.3 million.
Considering Golston is not an overly valuable member of the Cowboys’ defensive line rotation, Dallas could opt to keep one or two of the rookies and cut Golston from the roster. These types of moves happen every season as veteran players are pushed out the door for younger and cheaper players who have more potential.
