3 Dallas Cowboys who could be traded during the 2023 NFL Draft

It is that time of year as the NFL Draft is slowly inching closer. While free agency remains ongoing, the Dallas Cowboys have calmed down on spending money like a lot of teams.

The offseason has been a memorable one so far with two new additions through trades and three new players signed in free agency so far. Based on the lack of movement over the past week, it appears Dallas’ eyes are set on the draft. They certainly have holes to fill and doing so could mean moving up by trading away picks or players.

The Cowboys have total picks right now thanks in large part to acquiring compensatory picks. They could potentially use those extra picks to trade up if another team doesn’t like the players available at that point in the draft.

The better solution if Dallas wants to move up, however, is to trade players currently on the roster.

The Cowboys last did this in the 2018 draft. On Day 3, they traded receiver Ryan Switzer for defensive tackle Jihad Ward. The move made sense after they received Tavon Austin in a trade with the Rams the previous say. While this trade did not feature a pick in exchange, it showed how quickly the front office can look to move on from a young player.

Switzer never became a dynamic slot receiver or kick returner during his career, proving the trade was the right move in the end. Dallas has a few young players they hoped would have blossomed by now, but have yet to take the next step.

Based on the team trading for Stephon Gillmore and Brandin Cooks, Jerry and Stephen Jones are not showing confidence towards young players at those positions. One or a few of them could very well be traded to help them move up to draft a player they desperately need.

Let’s underline some of them, shall we?

1. Malik Hooker, S

A lot of fans may really scratch their heads here, but it is not farfetched to say Malik Hooker might not be long for Dallas. No question Hooker has been a major boost for a defense that arguably has the best secondary in the league. Since arriving during training camp in 2021, he and Jayron Kearse have been a force on the back end.

Hooker had an interception and two pass deflections in his first season in Dallas, but made an even bigger impact this past season.

After signing a two-year contract extension, he started six games and tallied 62 total tackles — the most of his career. He also came up with three interceptions, one coming against his former team, the Indianapolis Colts, that resulted in a touchdown, to go with three pass deflections and a fumble recovery. It was arguably his best season, but this offseason Dallas committed to another safety.

The Cowboys worked quickly to make sure Donovan Wilson did not escape in free agency. On March 14, they re-signed him to a three-year, $24 million deal. If Wilson did walk in free agency, having Kearse and Hooker still on the roster would still leave Dan Quinn with a solid secondary.

The fact Wilson was retained and Dallas committed to him for three years could mean they are looking down the road for when Hooker’s contract is up. While Hooker can no doubt be an asset to this team, re-signing Wilson may make him expendable.

2. Jalen Tolbert, WR

One of the first things Jalen Tolbert said when he arrived in Dallas was that he was going to “change the culture”. This already raised some red flags among fans and it seems the front office has lost confidence in the former South Alabama Jaguar.

Drafted in the third round of last year’s draft, many expected Tolbert to be a breakout rookie for a receiving corps that was crying out for help after the Amari Cooper trade.

While Michael Gallup took that challenge as a rookie and ran with it, Tolbert did not. Coaches continued to discuss how he was struggling to grasp the offense during training camp last year and it showed in preseason.

With Gallup still rehabbing after his torn ACL, Tolbert made his first appearance in a regular season game in Week 3 against the New York Giants. In that game he was targeted twice and had one catch for four yards. While he appeared in eight games for the season, he would only tally one more catch.

The team trading for Brandin Cooks was a clear sign more help was needed at receiver. Dallas was not about to go into 2023 with a similar situation as last year. CeeDee Lamb is the team’s best receiver but a young guy like him still needs other weapons around him. When teams keyed in on Lamb and Dalton Schultz, who is now gone, Dak Prescott had few options. While Gallup hopes to be fully healthy next year, adding Cooks can take pressure off Gallup needing to be 100% from day one.

That does not mean Dallas should solely rely on just those three players, however. Injuries happen and so do double teams. Tolbert mentioned a month ago he is hoping to learn from his tough rookie year, but in the NFL life can come at a young player fast. The Cowboys moved on from Switzer after just one year and Tolbert is another player who is pretty expendable.

While he may be draft weekend trade bait for simply acquiring more late round picks or a role player, the option should be on the table for the Cowboys based off a disappointing rookie season.

3. Kelvin Joseph, CB

The only thing that has stood out since Kelvin Joseph’s arrival in Dallas has been his rap name, Bossman Fat. The Cowboys hoped Joseph would be a great addition at corner to play opposite of Trevon Diggs, but so far that has not panned out. While he did not see much of the field as a rookie in 2021, last year he was forced into action due to injuries to Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis. Needless to say, Joseph underperformed and was outplayed by 2022 fifth-round pick DaRon Bland.

The most disappointing performance came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 15, a game Dallas needed to win to have any chance to win the division. With injuries all over the secondary, Joseph lined up opposite of Diggs in the second half. Leading 27-10, Zay Jones beat Joseph on a double move and hauled in a touchdown pass easily.

Later in the third quarter, after the Dallas offense started sputtering, Trevor Lawrence went right after the Cowboys’ weakness in the secondary again. Marvin Jones Jr. beat Joseph off the line easily and caught a touchdown pass in the right corner of the endzone to bring the Jaguars within three. A Jacksonville pick six in overtime won the game.

While that loss was not completely on Joseph, those two touchdowns he let up were costly. The former Kentucky Wildcat was also benched at times last year due to just poor play. Unless Joseph can take the next steps and learn from his mistakes, he will not be a Cowboy much longer.

While rumors swirled during last year’s training camp he might be cut, Joseph remained on the 53-man roster. With the Stephon Gillmore trade, Joseph has slipped down the projected depth chart. The only saving grace from Joseph’s perspective is that the team has not brought back Anthony Brown, meaning there is still room for him.

However, for a player at his position Dallas felt they had to make a blockbuster trade for, this could mean his time as a Cowboy is close to ending.

Joseph could be straight up cut during training camp or later in the season. However, he should not be ruled out of being on the trading block during draft weekend. Like Tolbert, Dallas should not expect to receive too much for him but helping them scoop up more picks is a bonus.

The Cowboys have needs, primarily on offense, they need to address in the draft. While trading picks alone can help any team move up or down to take who they really want, having a few players on the trading block other teams are interested in helps. A player can never get too comfortable, no matter if they are a starter or a backup.

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