Randy Gurzi#74 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 31, 2026

Gurzi predicts the Cowboys' 17-man practice squad, naming each player they expect Dallas to sign, including a surprise addition of released Giants tackle Evan Neal. They also predict Jaydon Blue will be claimed off waivers by another team and that Sam Williams will land elsewhere.

Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original

0 of 6calls landed6 misses · 13 waiting

0Average accuracyout of 100, across 6 calls

100A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge

6 of 19Settled13 still waiting

#74Randy Gurzi’s rankof 87 ranked NFL pundits

What Randy Gurzi said

That could lead to Blue being claimed, but the Cowboys are still able to bring back two promising running backs in Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda.

Randy Gurzi, the lead quote

Where it was published: Sports Illustrated
The piece: Dallas Cowboys Practice Squad Predciction Includes Surprise Outside Addition
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

SaidAug 31
GradedSep 25–Nov 9

Box score, by kind

HitCloseMissWaiting

Group	Misses	Waiting
Roster Spot Calls	6	11
Trade and Signing Calls	0	2
All	6	13

How each call scored

19 checkable claims — 17 roster spot calls and 2 trade and signing calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 20 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

6 of 19 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

Roster Spot Calls6 misses · 11 waitingShow ▸

Jordan Hudson to land on the practice squad
“Jordan Hudson, WR”
Jordan Hudson Dallas Cowboys
1 week on a 53
0Miss
0 − 100 naive = −100 × 2 difficulty = −200 skill
How this was scored
club:
DAL
skill:
−200
player:
Jordan Hudson
season:
2026
claimed:
he lands on the practice squad
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:
9
weeks on the practice squad:
8
Think this is wrong?
Reddy Steward to land on the practice squad
“Reddy Steward, CB ... he would be a viable emergency option and should be retained.”
Reddy Steward Dallas Cowboys
1 week on a 53
0Miss
0 − 100 naive = −100 × 2 difficulty = −200 skill
How this was scored
club:
DAL
skill:
−200
player:
Reddy Steward
season:
2026
claimed:
he lands on the practice squad
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:
3
weeks on the practice squad:
2
Think this is wrong?
Israel Abanikanda to land on the practice squad
“Israel Abanikanda, RB”
Israel Abanikanda Dallas Cowboys
1 week on a 53
0Miss
0 − 100 naive = −100 × 2 difficulty = −200 skill
How this was scored
club:
DAL
skill:
−200
player:
Israel Abanikanda
season:
2026
claimed:
he lands on the practice squad
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:
2
Think this is wrong?
Justin Barron to land on the practice squad
“Justin Barron, LB”
Justin Barron Dallas Cowboys
1 week on a 53
0Miss
0 − 100 naive = −100 × 2 difficulty = −200 skill
How this was scored
club:
DAL
skill:
−200
player:
Justin Barron
season:
2026
claimed:
he lands on the practice squad
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:
2
weeks on the practice squad:
2
Think this is wrong?
Nick Leverett to land on the practice squad
“Nick Leverett, IOL”
Nick Leverett Dallas Cowboys
3 weeks on a 53
0Miss
0 − 100 naive = −100 × 2 difficulty = −200 skill
How this was scored
club:
DAL
skill:
−200
player:
Nick Leverett
season:
2026
claimed:
he lands on the practice squad
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:
3
weeks left when called:
18
first week on the53:
1
weeks on the practice squad:
0
Think this is wrong?
Curtis Robinson to land on the practice squad
“Curtis Robinson, LB”
Curtis Robinson Dallas Cowboys
1 week on a 53
0Miss
0 − 100 naive = −100 × 2 difficulty = −200 skill
How this was scored
club:
DAL
skill:
−200
player:
Curtis Robinson
season:
2026
claimed:
he lands on the practice squad
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:
2
weeks on the practice squad:
2
Think this is wrong?
Zion Childress to land on the practice squad
“Zion Childress, S”
Zion Childress Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Anthony Smith to land on the practice squad
“Anthony Smith, WR”
Anthony Smith Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Phil Mafah to land on the practice squad
“Dallas Cowboys predicted practice squad — Phil Mafah, RB”
Phil Mafah Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Evan Neal to land on the practice squad
“Evan Neal, OT/G ... making him a surprise addition to our predicted practice squad.”
Evan Neal Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Jay Toia to land on the practice squad
“Jay Toia, DT”
Jay Toia Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Tommy Dunn to land on the practice squad
“Tommy Dunn, DT”
Tommy Dunn Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Julius Wood to land on the practice squad
“In the secondary, Dallas brings back Julius Wood who was a star during the preseason.”
Julius Wood Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Shiyazh Pete to land on the practice squad
“Shiyazh Pete, OT”
Shiyazh Pete Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Michael Trigg to land on the practice squad
“Michael Trigg, TE”
Michael Trigg Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Marcellus Johnson to land on the practice squad
“Marcellus Johnson, OT”
Marcellus Johnson Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Adedayo Odeleye to land on the practice squad
“Dayo Odeleye, DT (International Pathway Player)”
Adedayo Odeleye Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Trade and Signing Calls2 waitingShow ▸

Sam Williams to move — “fresh start elsewhere, possibly another team's practice squad”
“Williams would be best served to look for a fresh start elsewhere, and he's flashed enough potential to earn that, even if he has to begin on another team's practice squad.”
Sam Williams
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Jaydon Blue to move — “claimed off waivers by another team”
“That could lead to Blue being claimed”
Jaydon Blue
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Others on the same people

Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Micah Parsons · Miss 0
Eisen expects Myles Garrett to be traded before the draft and says the Browns will then take Abdul Carter with their early first-round pick; they also predict Buffalo will end up paying James Cook and that Micah Parsons will remain a Cowboy and get their money from Dallas, likely late in the process.
Jeff Cavanaugh · Roster Spot Calls · Marist Liufau · Hit 100
Building their projected Cowboys 53-man roster on defense, Jeff keeps five interior linemen (Kenny Clark, Quentin, Tito Obonia, LT Overton, Bullard), six edge rushers including Von Miller, Malachi Lawrence and Marist Liufau while cutting Sam Williams, four linebackers with Jayshawn Barham starting, six corners including rookie Devin Moore, and four safeties including Marquise Bell.
Jesse Holley · Roster Spot Calls · Marist Liufau · Hit 100
Holley expects Jay Toia to stick on the defensive line, Marist Liufau to make the team as a special teamer, Devin Moore to make the roster, and Joe Milton to be the backup quarterback ahead of Sam Howell.
Moe Moton · Roster Spot Calls · Marist Liufau · Miss 0
Moton rated Liufau a 9-out-of-10 on their trade probability meter, arguing that with Dallas' crowded edge room they are a long shot to make the 53-man roster and is either a trade or cut candidate.
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · Dallas Cowboys · Close 76
Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson.
Jake Arthur · Game Outcome Picks · Dallas Cowboys · Hit 100
Arthur predicted the Cowboys would beat the Colts 31-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium, a closer loss than Indianapolis' recent blowouts, citing Dallas' large talent edge offset by its poor defense. They also made several lineup calls for the game and suggested it could be Jonathan Taylor's last home game as a Colt ahead of the trade deadline.

More roster spot calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role.
Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots.
Parker Hurley · Roster Spot Calls · Khalid Kareem · Miss 0
Hurley predicts the 49ers will release Khalil Kareem when Nate Hobbs is activated and cut Brandin Cooks when C.J. West returns, while arguing Sebastian Valdez won't be the one let go and no cornerback will be cut.
Jason Harmon · Roster Spot Calls · Max Brosmer · Miss 0
Harmon expects the Vikings' quarterback room to stay intact while Kyler Murray is hurt, and predicts Max Brosmer will be released and re-signed to the practice squad since Minnesota won't carry four QBs.
Chad Jensen · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Turner · Miss 0
Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot.
Charean Williams · Roster Spot Calls · Odell Beckham Jr. · Miss 0
Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.