Cowboys Players Who Should be on the Trade Block After Week 3
Considering the shaky start the Dallas Cowboys got off to in the 2022 season, it's an impressive feat that they enter Week 4 at 2-1.
Despite an offseason characterized by the loss of several talented contributors, an early injury to Dak Prescott and a bad loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off the season, the Cowboys have rallied with Cooper Rush at quarterback to win their last two games.
It's enough to believe Dallas still has the makeup of a team that's going to compete for the playoffs.
That doesn't mean there aren't players who are expendable on the trade market, either. With an eye toward fixing holes in the current roster or gaining future draft capital, the Cowboys still have some players they could shop before the NFL trade deadline.
Based on their current role, performance, cap situation or a combination of all three, these players could be on the trade block.
Edge Dante Fowler Jr.
This has nothing to do with the play of Dante Fowler Jr. He's done exactly what he's been asked to do, which is to get after the quarterback as a rotational presence on the edge.
The 28-year-old has played just 27.9 percent of the snaps but has already notched one sack and is second on the team in pressures.
Fowler is serving a role on the Cowboys defense but could ultimately play a lot more with a team that doesn't have the depth Dallas does on the edge.
Micah Parsons is putting together a Defensive Player of the Year campaign while playing a lot of snaps as a defensive end and an outside linebacker. DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong have three sacks apiece through three games.
At this point, Fowler is a luxury.
If the Cowboys can flip him for a player at a position of need or draft capital while he's on a one-year contract, it has to be a consideration.
DT Trysten Hill
The Dallas Cowboys have offered Trysten Hill several opportunities to become a viable defensive tackle in their rotation. He started five games in 2020, but injuries and a one-game suspension have forced him to play in just 21 games over the last four years.
This year, the 24-year-old finds himself at the end of the defensive tackle rotation. He's seen action in all three games, including 27 snaps against the New York Giants in Week 3.
The results have been as disappointing as ever. He has just three tackles on the season with no sacks and one quarterback hit.
His PFF grade is at an unremarkable 49.5 even playing limited snaps. Quinton Bohanna might have a comparable score (48.1), but at least he's a rookie trying to figure out how to play in the NFL.
Hill's time has run out. The Cowboys still have Carlos Watkins on the practice squad. Perhaps another team will be willing to part with a late pick to get a crack at developing the 2019 second-round selection.
QB Cooper Rush
Cooper Rush has been invaluable to the Cowboys by keeping the offense afloat while Dak Prescott is out of the lineup with a thumb injury.
The quarterback has done everything you'd want a backup to do, running the offense efficiently and helping the Cowboys go 2-0 in his first two starts. In fact, he's gone above and beyond posting the sixth-highest total QBR in the league.
While team owner Jerry Jones talked about the possibility of a QB controversy, there's no possibility that's what comes to fruition. The Cowboys have a substantial financial commitment to Prescott over the next three seasons, and Rush has started just three games in his career.
Instead, Dallas might find itself with a valuable trade chip once Prescott comes back to the lineup.
If another team suffers a major injury at the quarterback position, it may be willing to pay up via trade to acquire someone like Rush, who has come in and played winning football off the bench.