The Dallas Cowboys are inching closer to gashing their roster to 53 players ahead of Tuesday's 3 p.m. CT deadline. Most of that process has included waiving players who barely missed out, but they have shockingly found a trade suitor for a player whose stock took a nosedive this summer.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cowboys are trading offensive lineman Asim Richards to the New Orleans Saints, who are now coached by former quarterback and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
The Cowboys are sending Richards and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Saints for a 2028 sixth-round pick, per Schefter.
Cowboys trade OT Asim Richards to the Saints in cutdown day stunner
Richards appeared in 21 games over the last two seasons, but he was past on the depth chart in training camp by Nathan Thomas, who is now locked in as the backup left tackle. The Cowboys are clearly pleased with Thomas' development, or else why make the trade?
The compensation hardly moves the needle, but Dallas deserves credit for getting something in return for Richards, who had an up and down camp and was on the outside looking in heading into roster cuts.
The writing was on the wall for Richards in camp. The Cowboys tried him out at guard, but he doesn't have the requisite strength or base to pan out there.
A fifth-round pick in 2023, Richards put out some good film at left tackle in the preseason, but Thomas jumped him on the depth chart, and the coaching staff likes what rookie sixth-round pick Ajani Cornelius and veteran Hakeem Adeniji have brought to the table.
The Cowboys have already released veteran guard Saahdiq Charles, which is a good sign for Cornelius and Adeniji's odds of making the roster. ESPN's Todd Archer understands that Dallas wants Charles back on the practice squad, so he is seemingly another player Richards fell behind this summer.
It was a quick fall from grace for Richards, but the coaching staff and front office are clearly content with the team's depth along the offensive line.