IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys are finally back to 53 players on the roster. And that's the part that likely won't change.
The actual guys that make up the entire roster – top to bottom – will certainly be shuffled around here, probably starting as early as Sunday or Monday.
But for now, the Cowboys have turned in their 22 roster moves to get down to 53 players before Saturday's 5 p.m. deadline.
One of the more notable roster moves includes safety Matt Johnson, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday afternoon and will be lost for the season.
Other notable cuts Saturday include wide receivers Anthony Armstrong and Danny Coale, quarterback Alex Tanney and cornerbacks Sterling Moore and Micah Pellerin.
Johnson, a fourth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2012, has yet to suit up for an NFL regular-season game. In fact, he has only played in two preseason games and has been injured both times. Nate Livings, who had a knee scope early in training camp, had also been placed on IR.
Johnson started the preseason opener vs. Miami in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 4. He played rather well in the first quarter before suffering a sprained foot in the second quarter. Last year, Johnson played just one preseason game before suffering his second hamstring injury of the offseason. Later in the regular season, Johnson was in the game plan to make his NFL debut and sustained yet another hamstring injury.
While Johnson was placed on IR, he's one of three more 2012 draft picks not on the 53-man roster, along with Coale and Caleb McSurdy, a seventh-round pick who missed all of last year with a torn Achilles.
Here are the official roster moves from Saturday:
Placed on IR:
Matt Johnson, S
Nate Livings, G
Waived:
Jakar Hamilton, S
Tim Benford, WR
Danny Coale, WR
Anthony Armstrong, WR
Kendial Lawrence, RB
Alex Tanney, QB
Kevin Kowalski, G/C
Edawn Coughman, OT
Jabari Fletcher, DE
Thaddeus Gibson, DE
Taylor Reed, LB
Micah Pellerin, CB
Sterling Moore, CB
Xaiver Brewer, CB
Ray Dominguez, G
Jerome Long, DT
Demetress Bell, OT
Jason Vega, DE
Caleb McSurdy, LB
Cameron Lawrence, LB
Brandon Magee, LB
