With one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys clearly aren't in a period of transition. That said, they have moved on from multiple longtime starters and rotation players in the name of getting younger and saving cap room to continue building the roster.
Dalton Schultz, Connor McGovern and Noah Brown have all moved on, while Ezekiel Elliott, Brett Maher, Anthony Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Anthony Brown and Jason Peters -- each of whom seemingly are either nearing the end of their respective primes or well past their primes.
By trading for Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore, the Cowboys audibly have their sights set on a Super Bowl.
That doesn't mean the front office won't look to shed more salary and expiring contracts with the hope of adding more firepower before or during training camp, which is typically when their version of the second wave of free agency starts.
Which Cowboys depth pieces could be on the chopping block?
3 players the Cowboys could surprisingly trade in 2023
Cowboys could trade Jourdan Lewis
A long speculated trade/cut candidate, Lewis made out well in the draft as the Cowboys waited until the fifth round to take a cornerback. It was rumored Dallas was targeting a corner early in the draft, and the fact they didn't use a high pick on the position technically improves Lewis' chances of staying with the team.
That said, the Cowboys have Stephon Gilmore and Trevon Diggs to start outside, and DaRon Bland would be hard-pressed to get benched as the nickel corner after he notched five interceptions as a rookie in just eight starts.
We're not advocating for Lewis to get traded, as cornerback depth is paramount. Dallas learned this first-hand last year when both Lewis and Anthony Brown sustained season-ending foot and Achilles injuries, respectively.
That said, it would be a hard sell keeping Lewis on his current salary if the coaching staff plans on keeping Bland in the nickel. Lewis is owed $4.5 million in 2023 and carries a $5.872 million cap hit. The team can save $4.7 million by trading him and we can't help but wonder if the front office is at least having a conversation about it.
Cowboys could trade Dorance Armstrong
Much like cornerback, pass rushing depth is paramount in today's NFL. You can never have too many pass rushers, but the Cowboys are stacked in that department with Micah Parsons, who's bulking up as he transitions to a full-time edge rusher, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, Dante Fowler and Armstrong.
Parsons likely isn't to come off the field often, so there are only so many snaps to go around. We say that despite knowing Dan Quinn wants to keep his rushers fresh and deploy a reasonably heavy rotation.
Armstrong played 47% of the snaps in 2022 and you have to assume the team plans to give Williams more opportunities in year two after he registered four sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 22 pressures, and nine QB hits as a rookie.
Armstrong's 8.5 sacks last season were a career high, but he faded down the stretch after a blazing hot start. In fact, he posted eight sacks over the first 11 games, meaning he notched just a half-sack over the final six fixtures.
The Cowboys could save $5.75 million against the cap by trading Armstrong after June 1. Like Lewis, we're not campaigning for Dallas to offload one of Quinn's edge rushers, but the sheer logjam at the position indicates it's a possibility.
Cowboys could trade Quinton Bohanna
Don't look now, but the Cowboys suddenly have three capable interior defensive linemen after they drafted Mazi Smith in the first round.
With Smith and Johnathan Hankins specializing against the run and Osa Odighizuwa establishing himself as one of the best young pass-rushing DTs in the game, Dallas' trench warfare is nothing to be trifled with.
While Smith isn't expected to start from jump street, he figures to get a ton of playing time. Either way, his arrival will have a domino effect on the rest of the rotation. Neville Gallimore largely has been pegged on the odd man out, but it might actually be Quinton Bohanna given he was drafted to bolster the run defense.
Gallimore, meanwhile, profiles as more of a downhill pass rusher. Bohanna admittedly was more effective than Gallimore last season, but that's not saying much. In fact, Bohanna logged a lousy 42.4 run-defense grade and totaled just nine defensive stops, per PFF.
The Cowboys used a sixth-round pick on Bohanna in 2021. Maybe they can get a seventh-rounder in return from a DT-needy team. The cap savings would be minimal, but a trade would allow Dallas the means to add a veteran to the rotation.