When I look at the current Cowboys roster and the positions where we need some upgrades, it’s interesting to think about what assets we have that could be used in a trade to upgrade our roster. There are several factors that make a player a good trade asset:
- Talent– obviously. That means current talent. Not “washed up” talent. (It’s often humorous to see some fans proposing a trade with one of our players who is not a big talent or has faded. Usually no other team wants them either, lol)
- Contract– must be able to fit contract under other teams’ cap. (This is why big contract players are traded less often- it’s hard to fit them under the cap for another team)
- Age– older players are usually less attractive to most teams. Players under 30 are more popular as trade bait for obvious reasons.
So…IMO, there are a few ”trade chips” we have that could result in a trade to improve our roster in positions of need. It won’t result in a blockbuster, but might help us with depth. Here are the players that have enough value for a trade that could upgrade our depth:
- Dorance Armstrong– with the development of Sam Williams, the re-signing of Dante Fowler, and the drafting of Vilami Fehoko, we have some depth with pass rushers. Armstrong is 26, talented and has a very reasonable contract. He could be used in a trade to acquire some depth at OL or another position of need. Most teams are looking for a pass rusher.
- Malik Hooker- if Israel Mukuamu continues to develop at S, Hooker could be a decent trade chip. Hooker is only 27, still has some value and has a very reasonable contract.
- Peyton Hendershot- he flashed at times last year as an athletic TE with some upside. His value would be low by himself but could be used as a sweetener in combo with another player. With the addition of Luke Schoonmaker, Hendershot will probably have less PT.
- Dante Fowler- as mentioned earlier, we have some pass rushing depth. Maybe Fowler would draw some interest (although not as much as Armstrong). He’s still just 28 and was re-signed to a very reasonable deal.
Again, none of these guys will have the value for a blockbuster trade. But they might render some depth at some positions of need like OL, RB or LB. I doubt the team would do this but it would certainly be worth exploring IMO.
