I think I know the answer but I want to clarify if anyone knows conclusively. If a player is suspended for game 1, he is suspended in effect after the cutdown date. For example, let's use Ezekiel Elliot. Hypothetically, his suspension gets upheld. He would be required to be counted on the 53 man roster or would he get suspended and then the Cowboys need to get down to 53.
I can't keep track of how many players Dallas will have under suspension but I think it is something like 5. If they had to put all of those players on their initial 53, they could risk losing a key contributor to waivers. Their depth takes a hit due to the suspensions but then could take another hit as they are counting on one of their bottom of the roster players to fill in for a couple of weeks only to be exposed to waivers. Throw in some potential injuries and they could be scrambling for the first few weeks.
