After a solid win against the Eagles, the Cowboys are 3-4 into the season. But along with the win, they are also adjusting their roster, as they have waived two of their offensive players.
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“The @dallascowboys waived RB Emari Demercado and TE D.J. Rogers,” Dallas Cowboys Public Relations reported on X.
The Dallas Cowboys picked up Emari Demercado from the Kansas City Chiefs on August 31 after he was waived. After that, Dallas waived him once on October 8 but later brought him back before releasing him again.
One of the main reasons to stick with him was his knowledge of the Cowboys system. Demercado had already worked with Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams when both were with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 and 2024.
But despite that, Demercado struggled to earn a bigger role with the Cowboys. He played in only two games and rushed five times for 15 yards. His limited playing time meant he could not make much of an impact in Dallas’ offense.
Meanwhile, Tyler Goodson made better use of his opportunities in the Cowboys’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He carried the ball 10 times for 38 yards, giving Dallas another option at running back. He made Demercado’s position shaky in the system.
But Demercado still had things to offer to the team. Before joining the Cowboys, Emari played three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, appearing in 40 games. With the NFC West franchise, he ran the ball 126 times for 819 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns. He also helped the team through the passing game, catching 50 passes for 324 yards and one touchdown.
Even the Cowboys’ head coach showed immense trust in him and also mentioned that he can contribute on the special teams, too.
“Emari is a guy that Klayton has some exposure to,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said back in August. “A good veteran that plays special teams, and there’s a lot of things that we like about him. We’re excited that we were awarded him in the claiming system, and as soon as I get done here, we’ll go have some more conversations.”
Along with him, even Rodgers is part of the cut. Rodgers did not play in any regular-season games for the Dallas Cowboys. The team signed him as an undrafted free agent from TCU in April, but he injured his knee and sprained his MCL toward the end of the preseason. The injury kept him from playing for Dallas.
On August 30, the Cowboys waived Rodgers because of his injury. Since no other team claimed him, he returned to Dallas’ injured reserve list the following day. The Cowboys have now waived him from injured reserve, ending his time on the team’s roster.
D.J. Rogers faced tough competition for a place on the Cowboys’ roster because Dallas already had three tight ends in Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, and Brevyn Spann-Ford. With these players already in the lineup, Rogers had fewer chances to secure a spot, especially after his preseason knee injury kept him from showing what he could do on the field.
But apart from depth concerns, is there any other reason behind the Cowboys taking such a bold step ahead of the Cardinals game?
Why Cowboys took this bold step?
According to Sports Illustrated, the Cowboys might have waived Emari Demercado and D.J. Rogers to free up two spots on their 53-man roster. This could allow the team to bring back two injured defensive players, outside linebacker Marist Liufau and safety PJ Locke, who have returned to practice.
Liufau fractured his forearm during the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints and has not played this season. Locke injured the plantar fascia in his foot during the Cowboys’ Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders.
PJ Locke has already worked with defensive coordinator Christian Parker before, so he already knows the system. Then there’s Marist Liufau, who could also help on special teams.
Both players began practicing again last week but did not travel with the team for its game against the Eagles. But these moves can make their way to the team.
Now, with these major moves, it will be interesting to see if the Cowboys actually make their way to the Super Bowl.