Fan fave Whitehead still on the bubble
Deadline for roster cuts is Saturday; undrafted receiver awaiting word.
ARLINGTON -In the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ preseason win over the Texans, the AT&T Stadium cameras found Lucky Whitehead on the sideline.
The receiver looked up, broke into a smile and urged the crowd to get loud. Fans roared as they cheered the player who is quickly becom- ing a fan favorite.
“I glimpsed up and then I put my head down and I had seen it and then they just stayed on, so I was just like, ‘Whatever,’” Whitehead said. “I smile all the time, so I was just trying to get the crowd going. The defense was out there.”
It was a brief glimpse of a small college player taking in the spectacle of the NFL. The question now is whether it will be his last as a member of the Cowboys. Whitehead and fellow preseason fan favorite Gus Johnson, both undrafted free agents, are both on the roster bubble.
They both helped their case on Thursday night. Whitehead led the team with four receptions for 40 yards and had a 33-yard punt return. He also had a 23-yard punt return negated by a holding penalty. Johnson received 16 carries, totaling 68 yards and a touchdown. His 21-yard touchdown down the sideline put the Cowboys up 14-7 in the third quarter.
But were the performances enough for either to make the team when fifinal cuts come on Saturday?
Whitehead is in the better position as he vies to be a returner and fififth wide receiver. If he stays he’ll likely contrib - ute more in the return game, but he started the preseason with a fumble and a bobble on returns. The Cowboys then used Cole Beasley and Lance Dunbar on returns last week against the Vikings, but Whitehead’s rebound against the Texans should help his case.
“At the end of the day it’s football,” Whitehead said. “I’ve been doing it for a while now. It was a little difffffffffffferent for me early on in preseason for punts and stuffff like that, but I defifinitely feel like I’m adjusted. It’s slowing down for me.”
Whitehead admitted the next few days will be stressful.
“I feel like I did enough,” he said. “I came out here and performed as well as I could. I made plays, so I’m just going to sit back and hope and pray. It’s not in my hands anymore.”
As for Johnson, he appears more of a practice-squad candidate, with running backs Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar and fullback Tyler Clutts virtual locks to make the team. But Johnson said Thursday he’s not worried about it.
“I’ll probably wake up tomorrow and it’ll probably be on my mind, but you can’t worry about it,” Johnson said. “That’s something you don’t have a lot of control over. They’re going to make a decision however they want to, so just let it all play out and whatever happens, go with it.”
The Cowboys have until 3 p.m. on Saturday to get their roster down from 75 to 53.
“It’s the worst part of our job,” coach Jason Garrett said. “What we have to do is do what’s in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys. We’ll have some hard decisions to make.”
Whitehead and Johnson will be among them.