NFL preseason games are almost always to be taken with a grain of salt. Oftentimes the matchup against lines of the depth chart are uneven. Teams, such as and especially the Dallas Cowboys, sit their starters for the entire exhibition schedule, leading to a bunch of twos and threes going against ones and twos. Add to that the desire of coaching staffs to keep approxiamately 99.9% of their scheme and play changes under wraps, and there's a lot of room for misleading assessment.Then there's also the stuff that stares an evaluator right in the face that can't be mistaken. Guys who are going to have to play special teams to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, can't look bad while playing special teams. On the other end of the spectrum, players who shine against weak competition often can't climb past proven assets who are sidelined out of precaution. That's what makes roster projections, such as this one, so much fun.A key thing to look at from the first preseason game, one which the Cowboys defeated the Seahawks 17-7, are the players who didn't suit up. If they aren't known to have had an injury, consider those players locks. The Cowboys held out 29 players and of the four who have injuries (designated with a *), two of them are top rookie picks, making it 27 roster locks out the gate.LB 0 D.OvershownCB 2 C.DurantWR 3 G.PickensQB 4 D.PrescottOLB 6 D.EzeiruakuOLB 7 R.GaryWR 9 K.TurpinWR 19 R.FlournoyS 24 M.HookerCB 26 D.BlandCB 29 D.Moore *RB 33 J.WilliamsS 34 J.ThompsonFB 40 H.LuepkeCB 48 Z.Childress *G 52 T.BookerLB 53 D.WintersLB 55 J.Barham *C 56 C.BeebeT 60 T.GuytonG 73 T.SmithT 78 T.SteeleTE 87 J.FergusonWR 88 C.LambTE 89 B.Spann-FordDT 91 O.OgbonniaDT 92 Q.WilliamsDT 97 K.ClarkDT 98 J.Bullard *Then there were those who suited up just to get their feet wet. They played extremely limited snaps, but clearly are going to make the team.S 13 C. DownsCB 28 S. RevelOL 66 T. BassOLB 57 M. LawrenceStill others are almost assured of their roster spots based on draft pedigree from the last two seasons, and before one knows it, 60% of the roster spots are already secured. So what does a 53-man projection look like? Here's a position-by-position breakdown.Quarterback (3)Dak PrescottSam HowellJoe Milton (Emergency QB3 on gameday)Cuts: NoneRunning Backs (4)Javonte WilliamsJaydon BluePhil MafahHunter LuepkeCuts: Malik Davis (PS), Israel Abinakanda, Jashaun CorbinWide Receivers (5)CeeDee LambGeorge PickensRyan FlournoyKavontae TurpinCamden BrownMarquez Valdes-Scantling (1 of 2 to Returnable IR, doesn't count against 53)Cuts: Anthony Smith (PS), Jonathan Mingo (PS), Denzel Mims, Jordan Hudson, Tyler Johnson, Jaden Smith, Traeshon HoldenTight Ends (4)Jake FergusonBrevyn Spann-FordMichael TriggLuke Schoonmaker (trade candidate)Cuts: DJ RogersOffensive Line (8)Tyler GuytonTyler SmithCooper BeebeTyler BookerTerence SteeleTJ BassNathan ThomasDrew SheltonCuts: Ajani Cornelius (PS), Trevor Keegan (PS), Marcellus Johnson (PS), DJ Wingfield, Chris Glaser, Nick Leverett, Shiyazh PeteEdge Rushers (6)Donovan EzeiruakuRashan GaryMalachi LawrenceJames HoustonSam WilliamsMarist Liufau (trade candidate)Cuts: Adedayo Odeleye (PS - IPP exemption), Tyrus Wheat (PS), Isaiah Land (PS)Interior Defenders (5)Quinnen WilliamsKenny ClarkOtito OgbonniaLT OvertonJay ToiaJonathan Billard (2 of 2 to Returnable IR, doesn't count against 53)Cuts: Tommy Dunn (PS), DJ Withers (PS), Kelvin GilliamLinebackers (5)Dee WintersDeMarvion OvershownJaishawn BarhamShemar JamesCurtis RobinsonCuts: Justin Barron (PS), Langston PattersonCornerbacks (5)DaRon BlandCobie DurantShacon RevelDevin MooreJosh ButlerCuts: Trikweze Bridges (PS), Caelen Carson (PS), Derion Kendrick, Zion ChildressNickel Defensive Backs (2)Caleb DownsReddy StewardCuts: Ameer Speed (PS)Safeties (4)Jalen ThompsonMalik HookerPJ LockeJulius WoodCuts: Markquese Bell (PS), Alijah Clark (PS)Special Teams (2)Brandon AubreyBryan AngerCuts: Trent Sieg (handshake to return before Week 1)This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys 53-man roster projection after first preseason game