Jeff Cavanaugh· Aug 26, 2026
Jeff projected the Cowboys' offensive 53-man roster: nine offensive linemen (with Bass, Shelton, Leverett and Cornelius as the depth pieces and Nate Thomas and Keegan cut), three tight ends, Javonte Williams and Malik Davis atop the backfield, and five receivers with Mingo in and Camden Brown headed to the practice squad. He also gave reception and passing projections and said Jayshawn Barham will be starting before long.
“So he stays, and Keegan goes, and we're gonna keep nine.”
said on air, transcribed by us · DLLS Dallas Cowboys (podcast) · read the original →
27 checkable claims — 12 roster spot calls, 8 depth chart calls and 7 player season numbers — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 25 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
9 of 27 have settled so far, averaging 66.7 out of 100, against 77.8 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 10 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 9.
Where this call stands in the room
Javonte Williams · 2026 season9 calls from 9 pundits between 1 and 1. Jeff Cavanaugh said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
- Nick Leverett
- Dallas Cowboys
- Camden Brown
- Jonathan Mingo
- Drew Shelton
- Nathan Thomas
- TJ Bass
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- Ajani Cornelius
- Luke Schoonmaker
- Dak Prescott
- Javonte Williams
- Nick Nash
- CeeDee Lamb
- Travis Hunter
- Malik Davis
- Jaishawn Barham
- Ryan Flournoy
- Trevor Keegan
- Jaydon Blue
- Brevyn Spann-Ford
- KaVontae Turpin
- Javontee Herndon
- Jake Ferguson
- Joe Milton III
27 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Roster Spot CallsNick LeverettDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Nick Leverett to make the roster
“Bass Shelton, Leverett. And Cornelius or Thomas?”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 54d7bdbb-13e0-4be4-8e25-fca585f9a237
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsCamden BrownDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Camden Brown to make the roster
“Is Camden Brown gonna make the 53 initially? No.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 0+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- e0868ab6-2128-44b8-838b-017305026780
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he does not make the 53
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsJonathan MingoDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Jonathan Mingo to make the roster
“who serves you better? Mingo or Camden Brown? The answer is Jonathan Mingo... Mingo's on the team.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 596e0978-2852-4f5a-a509-c9fc9cc90ce6
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsDrew SheltonDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Drew Shelton to make the roster
“Shelton's gonna make it... They'll keep the draft back. They'll keep Shelton.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- 8ca78a2b-b6ce-4759-bdac-bd73cca59765
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsNathan ThomasDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Nathan Thomas to make the roster
“Pick a tackle, Thomas or Cornelius... Cornelius has been better.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- -200
- player:
- 4ea593fc-557a-4372-a792-4e78b8a250e1
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he does not make the 53
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsTJ BassDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
TJ Bass to make the roster
“TJ Bass makes the team. Right? You're at six.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- a8addbae-7e48-45e5-a996-ded8f694bc9d
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Marquez Valdes-Scantling to make the roster
“We'd like to thank Marquez Valdez Scantling for signing just in case George wasn't gonna show up and stuff and hanging out for a bit.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- -200
- player:
- 801a1419-2d7b-4edc-8dd9-337b5d07fda7
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he does not make the 53
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsAjani CorneliusDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Ajani Cornelius to make the roster
“Cornelius? Yeah. That's what I would do. Cornelius has been better... So he stays, and Keegan goes, and we're gonna keep nine.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- dc5dfa2e-4972-4a51-821d-73d8ca12b82c
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsLuke SchoonmakerDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Luke Schoonmaker to make the roster
“So Luke Schoonmaker is tied in number three, and everyone else is going home except Michael Trigg.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- DAL
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 2f0d32ce-94f5-43d3-9147-8359aca4cf4b
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Player Season NumbersDak PrescottDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Dak Prescott to record ? passing yards
“I think he'll be in that ballpark... He'll be between 45 and 5,000.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsJavonte WilliamsDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Javonte Williams to be 1st on the depth chart
“Javonte, number one. Done and done.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Player Season NumbersNick NashDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Nick Nash to record 90 receptions
“Pickens had 93 last year. Slam had 75, and he missed four games. You put both of them around 90.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Player Season NumbersCeeDee LambDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
CeeDee Lamb to record 90 receptions
“Slam had 75, and he missed four games. You put both of them around 90.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Roster Spot CallsTravis HunterDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Travis Hunter to make the roster
“I'll put Hunter over that fullback.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsMalik DavisDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Malik Davis to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Malik Davis is running back number two. He is the primary backup to Javonte Williams.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsJaishawn BarhamDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Jaishawn Barham to be 1st on the depth chart
“If he doesn't start there, it won't be long.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsRyan FlournoyDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Ryan Flournoy to be 3rd on the depth chart
“Let's get Ryan Flannoy up at wide receiver three.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Roster Spot CallsTrevor KeeganDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Trevor Keegan to make the roster
“So he stays, and Keegan goes, and we're gonna keep nine.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Roster Spot CallsJaydon BlueDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Jaydon Blue to make the roster
“And so Jaden Blue is in and obviously brings something a little bit different from both of those guys”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsBrevyn Spann-FordDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Brevyn Spann-Ford to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Brevin's fan forward has come along. He has no doubt tight end two. He's gonna play a lot.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsKaVontae TurpinDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
KaVontae Turpin to be 4th on the depth chart
“Turpin's 4. Turpin's 4.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Javontee Herndon to record 20 receptions
“Devonte's gonna get 20.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Player Season NumbersJake FergusonDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Jake Ferguson to record 70 receptions
“You put Ferg around 70.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsLuke SchoonmakerDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Luke Schoonmaker to be 3rd on the depth chart
“So Luke Schoonmaker is tied in number three”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Player Season NumbersJaydon BlueDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Jaydon Blue to record 15 receptions
“Blue's gonna get 15.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Brevyn Spann-Ford to record 35 receptions
“I was gonna go, like, 35 to 40. 35.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsJoe Milton IIIDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
Joe Milton III to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Joe Milton's a backup. Right?”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Mike MoraitisTrade and Signing Calls · DaRon BlandHit · 100Moraitis names five Cowboys he expects to be playing their final season opener in Dallas in 2026: George Pickens (likely tag-and-trade or departure), Malik Hooker, Luke Schoonmaker, DeMarvion Overshown and DaRon Bland.
- Garrett PodellScore Predictions · Dallas CowboysMiss · 36Previewing the Week 1 'Sunday Night Football' game, the piece picks Dallas to beat New York comfortably, arguing Prescott, Lamb and Pickens will exploit the Giants' cornerbacks while the Cowboys' defense contains Jaxson Dart.
- Chris BroussardScore Predictions · Dallas CowboysMiss · 29Broussard took Tampa Bay over Cincinnati as his upset alert, predicted a 34-17 Cowboys win over the Giants, and had picked Dak Prescott as MVP.
- Nick WrightGame Outcome Picks · Dallas CowboysMiss · 0Wright picked Tampa Bay to beat Cincinnati outright, Philadelphia to beat Washington, Dallas to beat the Giants, and said he was one of the few nationally to pick the Chiefs to win it all.
- Eric ManginiGame Outcome Picks · Dallas CowboysMiss · 0Mangini's upset alert was Washington over Philadelphia; in the chips segment he backed Houston, Dallas and Denver; and his Monday headline was Cincinnati mauling Tampa Bay, with Joe Burrow as his MVP and the Bengals as AFC North champs.
- Kirk HerbstreitGame Outcome Picks · Dallas CowboysMiss · 0Herbstreit made a full slate of Week 1 picks — Lions, Ravens, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Packers and Cowboys — and also said he still thinks Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC West.
More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- John ShipleyRoster Spot Calls · Jack KiserMiss · 0Shipley projects a full 16-player (plus one international/exemption spot) Jaguars practice squad for 2026, naming specific players at each position he expects to land there.
- Cody RourkeRoster Spot Calls · Mitchell FraboniMiss · 0Rourke names the Ravens as the bounce-back team most likely to be dangerous in the AFC again, and says Houston's defense alone should carry the Texans into the postseason. He also expects long snapper Mitchell Fraboni to be one of Denver's practice-squad elevations for the Chiefs game, and slots Pat Bryant as Denver's third receiver behind Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle.
- Sayre BedingerRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeMiss · 0Benninger expects Houston's elite defense to make them either a division winner or a wild card team, thinks Marvin Mims was trending toward being Denver's fourth receiver rather than just the return man, and figures Adam Prentice will be the Broncos' other practice-squad call-up.
- Bob MorrisRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeHit · 100Morris predicts Jarrett Stidham holds the backup QB job behind Bo Nix, Adam Prentice makes the 53-man roster as the fullback/fourth back, and Lucas Krull gets cut.
- Erick TrickelRoster Spot Calls · Adam PrenticeHit · 100After the Broncos' preseason opener, Trickel argued fullback Adam Prentice has shown enough value to earn a spot on the 53-man roster ahead of the team's fourth running back options (Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, Cody Schrader).
- Nick ShookRoster Spot Calls · Aaron DonaldHit · 100Shook unveiled his first NFL power rankings of the year, putting the Rams first, the Broncos second and the defending champion Seahawks only third, with the Dolphins last.