Dallas Cowboys release DT Trysten Hill minutes after trade deadline
The Dallas Cowboys may not have made any trades ahead of Tuesday’s NFL Trade Deadline, but they did make another move. The Cowboys decided to release defensive tackle Trysten Hill less than an hour after the trade deadline passed.
The 24-year-old was a second-round pick out of Central Florida in the 2019 NFL Draft. While he wasn’t a first-rounder, Hill was the Cowboys first pick that year since they had traded their first-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Amari Cooper a few months earlier.
Hill was playing in the final year of his four-year, $4.8 million contract with Dallas and was set to be a free agent in 2023.
In 3.5 seasons with the Cowboys, Hill played only 25 games and collected 33 tackles, 11 QB hits, and 0.5 sacks in 642 defensive snaps.
The @dallascowboys released DT Trysten Hill on Tuesday.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) November 1, 2022
Cowboys release DT Trysten Hill minutes after the NFL Trade Deadline on Tuesday
Heading into Week 8, the Cowboys had 11 defensive linemen on the 53-man roster, which was a high number to begin with.
On Sunday, Hill was made a healthy scratch ahead of the win against the Chicago Bears. This was likely because the team didn’t want to risk him getting injured if they tried to use him to make a trade and deadline day.
Cowboys reporter Michael Gehlken also pointed out that the Cowboys were likely trying to trade Hill because they preferred Tarell Basham who is expected to be back from injury soon. Here’s more from Gehlken from Monday evening:
"The Cowboys carry 11 defensive linemen on their 53-man roster. That number is already on the heavy side, and by the middle of next week, defensive end Tarell Basham must be activated from injured reserve, or he will miss the remainder of the 2022 season.In an ideal world, Dallas could keep all 12."
However, some have other theories as to why Hill was cut. Calvin Watkins seems to think that this was simply about numbers and Hill’s number of snaps rather than the Cowboys trying to trade him.
Team official with knowledge of the Trysten Hill decision of getting cut said it was more about numbers at the position than anything else. Just not enough snaps for Hill.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) November 1, 2022
Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr. had a completely different theory. He said the Cowboys tried to showcase him for a trade in the Week 7 game, which is why they chose to sit Neville Gallimore that week.
The Cowboys did release Trysten Hill after trying to showcase him for a trade in the Detroit game when they sat Neville Gallimore. They sat Hill vs. Bears to keep him out of harms way in case they could get a deal to move him. I predicted in training camp that Hill was trade bait
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 1, 2022
Regardless of what the true answer is, Hill just never seemed to find his place in the Dallas organization and it’s not surprising that they tried to use him in a trade. In almost four full seasons, he never played more than seven games in a year. He didn’t fit the bill of a Day 2 pick.
