4 young Cowboys Jerry Jones cannot afford to risk on the waiver wire

The preseason is winding down, and for the Dallas Cowboys, that means the arrival of the roster cutdown day. The team has some incredibly tough decisions ahead as they trim the roster from 90 players down to 53.

While the starting jobs are mostly set, the battles for depth spots have been fierce, and a few young standouts have made the choice anything but easy.

For Jerry Jones and the front office, the goal is always to build the deepest roster possible. However, the waiver wire is a minefield. If you try to sneak a talented young player through to the practice squad, there is a very real chance another team will swoop in and claim him.

With that in mind, here are four young Cowboys that the organization simply cannot afford to risk losing on the waiver wire.

1. Camden Brown (Wide Receiver)

If there is one player who has captured the hearts of Cowboys fans this preseason, it is undrafted rookie Camden Brown. After a quiet start to his college career at Auburn, Brown exploded in his final season at Georgia Southern with 65 catches for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has carried that momentum straight into the NFL.

Brown has been nothing short of spectacular in preseason action. In the opener against Seattle, he caught three passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns. He followed that up with a massive 70-yard reception against the Arizona Cardinals. His performance has earned him attention from Pro Football Focus, as he posted an eye-popping 91.5 PFF grade in his debut, ranking him seventh among all rookies after the first week of the preseason.

The Cowboys are deep at receiver with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, and KaVontae Turpin locked into roster spots. However, cutting Brown would be a massive and disastrous gamble.

Given his preseason production, he would almost certainly be claimed off waivers before he could even think about returning to the practice squad. He has shown too much big-play ability to risk losing for nothing.

2. Jonathan Mingo (Wide receiver)

Jonathan Mingo entered this offseason on the roster bubble, but he has done everything possible to play his way onto the team. The former second-round pick has been a star throughout camp and has carried that into the preseason. In Week 2 against the Cardinals, Mingo made a statement, hauling in two receptions for 62 yards and a 53-yard touchdown.

That performance was not just impressive on the stat sheet. According to Pro Football Focus, Mingo earned an elite grade of 84.4 for the game, placing him firmly in the top five graded Cowboys players for that week. He has also been contributing on special teams, further strengthening his case for a roster spot.

The Cowboys traded for Mingo at the 2024 deadline, and he is still out to prove it was the right call. With a crowded receiver room, waiving him would be a significant risk.

He has starting-caliber talent and a skill set that other teams would eagerly claim. The Cowboys invested a draft pick in him, and he is finally showing why. Losing him now for nothing would be a tough pill to swallow.

3. Marist Liufau (Outside linebacker)

The addition of veteran pass rusher Von Miller has created a serious numbers crunch on the edge. Marist Liufau, a former third-round pick, finds himself in the middle of that crunch. The team has experimented with moving him from traditional linebacker to the edge this offseason under defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

While the transition has shown some progress, Liufau is currently on the outside looking in. His PFF grade from the 2025 season was just 40.7, which would have ranked among the worst linebackers in the NFL if he had played enough snaps. However, in his rookie season, he logged 69 pass rush snaps and earned a respectable 65.6 pass rush grade from PFF.

Despite his struggles, Liufau is still young and has untapped potential. He has played in 34 games with 14 starts over his first two seasons, recording 80 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The Cowboys invested a third-round pick in him just two years ago. Cutting him now would be admitting defeat on a player who could still develop into a solid contributor. With a new defensive scheme, he deserves more time to find his role.

4. Sam Williams (Edge rusher)

Sam Williams is another edge player whose future in Dallas is uncertain. The Cowboys brought him back on a one-year prove-it deal after an up-and-down tenure. He had a strong start to his career with 8.5 sacks over his first two years as a rotational player.

However, injuries derailed his third year, and he has not looked like the same player since. In 2025, he recorded just one sack and four QB hits, earning a lowly 57.5 PFF grade, which ranked 93rd out of 115 edge rushers.

However, there are signs of a turnaround. In the preseason Week 2 game against the Cardinals, Williams recorded a sack and earned a PFF grade of 84.3, landing him in the top five graded players on the team for that game. He has also expressed belief that the new defensive scheme under Parker is a better fit for his skill set.

Williams has elite athleticism and has shown he can be a productive pass rusher at the NFL level. Cutting a player with his upside is a major risk. The edge rusher position is one of the most valuable in the league, and teams are always looking for pass-rush help. If the Cowboys waive Williams, there is a strong chance another team will claim him and give him the opportunity to reach his potential elsewhere.

Jones and the Cowboys’ front office have built a roster with impressive depth this year. That is a good problem to have, but it also means some talented young players will be left out. 

When it comes to Brown, Mingo, Marist Liufau, and Williams, the risk of losing them on the waiver wire is simply too high. These are players with clear NFL talent and upside who have shown they can contribute. 

The Cowboys need to find a way to keep them in the building, whether that means carrying an extra player at a position or using a creative approach to roster management. In the modern NFL, you cannot afford to let young talent walk out the door for free.