The Dallas Cowboys have a defensive problem that a few players could fix at the NFL trade deadline. Don’t let their dominant win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday cloud your judgement, this team still has a lot of work to do on defense, especially if they don’t want to waste Dak Prescott’s MVP-worthy season.
Entering Week 7 of the NFL season, the Cowboys had the No. 1 offense and the No. 32 defense, meaning they quite literally have the worst defense in the NFL. They need to find reinforcements to make sure they don’t waste away another strong season by Prescott and the offense. There’s quite a few players on the trade block that could help them so here’s who Jerry Jones should turn to.
EDGE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Potential trade package
This is too obvious of a decision, but Jones has to pull the trigger on getting a real EDGE rusher in Dallas. I know Jones likes to let the young players cook, but they need proven defenders to improve this defense right now while developing the young talent in the background. When Jones traded Micah Parsons away, he needed to find a real replacement. Trey Hendrickson can be that player.
According to Bleacher Report, if the Bengals make Hendrickson available, they could ask for a young player that could develop into a star and a mid-round pick as a package deal, which Dallas could come up with. At the end of the day, whatever it would take to get Hendrickson, it’s something Jones has to think about. This season, Hendrickson has four sacks, a forced fumble and 10 tackles.
Kenny Clark was a big addition to the defense, but they need more than just him. Though the Cowboys probably aren’t going to bring Hendrickson back after this season, they can capitalize on his skills this season. He’s much better off in Dallas than he is in Cincinnati where things are less optimistic.
Riq Woolen, Seattle Seahawks
Potential trade package
Daron Bland and Trevon Diggs have been the two corners to hold down the secondary, but Diggs just hasn’t been playing up to what Dallas needs. That opens the opportunity for Riq Woolen to land in Dallas. Woolen, while he did have a breakout rookie season, really hasn’t done much since. Seattle could look to capitalize on his value at the deadline.
Woolen would be a great addition to this defense because it not only would give Dallas cornerback depth, but it will also give them a more reliable option in the secondary. Dallas acquired Kaiir Elam from Dallas and he’s been a liability as well. Though he doesn’t have a great overall PFF grade to start this season, he has to be on Jones’ shortlist if he wants the pass defense to improve.
DT Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans
Potential trade package
The Dallas Cowboys did add Kenny Clark via the Micah Parsons trade, but they could use some more interior help on the defensive line. They’re giving up 141 rushing yards per game, which is terrible. While that’s not just on the defensive line, improving it will certainly help. Simmons is wasting away his career in Tennessee and if the Titans look to offload some of their more veteran players, Dallas has to consider adding Simmons.
This season, Simmons has 21 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. I don’t know how ideal it is for Dallas to add all three of these players, but at the very least, if they manage to improve their defensive line, adding a combined 8.5 sacks would drastically improve that side of the ball. Simmons would solve a lot of problems for Dallas in both the rushing and passing game.