Cowboys News: Dallas cuts 3 players, Stephen Jones hints at another trade, Tony Pollard

The Dallas Cowboys are flying under the radar leading up to the NFL Draft. That normally isn't the case, but they own the 26th pick and don't have many glaring needs after they traded for Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks.

Those trades did a number -- albeit not a big one -- on their cap space. It could take close to $10 million to sign their 2023 draft class and the Cowboys gave themself a little extra wiggle room in that regard by cutting three players.

Per the transaction wire, Dallas waived defensive back Isaac Taylor-Stuart and tight end Ian Bunting with failed physical designations. The team also released linebacker Devonte Bond, who's appeared in 34 games in his career, though he hasn't appeared in a regular season fixture since 2020.

Bunting appeared in one game for Dallas two seasons ago, but didn't make any appearances last campaign. Taylor-Stuart, meanwhile, signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and spent all of last year on the practice squad.

Cowboys cut 3 players, Stephen Jones hints at another veteran trade

In other news, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday to preview the team's draft plans.

On Monday, Jones told reporters that the team is involved in trade discussions, though nothing is concrete. He acknowledged "very few trades are done in the back end" and "it will be a game-day decision" contigent on how the board falls.

As a follow-up to that answer, Jones was asked Tuesday whether Dallas would consider moving a draft pick for another veteran.

"I'll say this, veterans right before the draft usually come at a good price," Jones said. "After the draft, things go back up again (because) people aren't valuing picks as much because you're a year away from using them, so it's harder to make something happen . . ."

Jones concluded by noting the difficulty of working through the evaluation process and hammering out a contract with an agent that suits both sides. It doesn't sound like Jones and the Cowboys are opposed to wheeling and dealing again. It just might have to be another Cooks/Gilmore situation where they got great value both in terms of draft equity and the players' contracts.

Finally, Jones was adamant about approaching Tony Pollard about a contract extension. The EVP said the Cowboys highly value Pollard and that's reflected in his franchise tag (worth $10.09 million). He added that Dallas wants to keep him on board for the next three to four years, if possible.

Luckily, the Cowboys and Pollard don't have to agree on an extension this offseason. His 10.09 million salary for 2023 is fully guaranteed. Delaying talks runs the risk of him reaching free agency, but most fans would agree there should be more urgency to get one of CeeDee Lamb or Trevon Diggs signed before next season.