The Dallas Cowboys are 2-5 but just a half-game out in the NFC East race. That’s nuts, but it could embolden the Cowboys not to be sellers at the deadline. With Dak Prescott out for the year and Andy Dalton sidelined with a concussion, the talk in Cowboys circles is that the team will be selling at the NFL’s Trade Deadline.
With that in mind, Cowboys Wire put together a list of players on the Cowboys who could be available. Dan Lavoie has power ranked them for the Buffalo Bills along with his thoughts:
1: DE Everson Griffen
Looking at Griffen’s cap hit in 2020 might give you pause, but of his $6 million compensation, $3 million was a roster bonus already paid by Dallas. He’s due around $1.6 million for the rest of the season and could immediately add juice to the pass rush. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings when Leslie Frazier was the defensive coordinator and played under him for three season when he was head coach. He’s on an expiring contract that could net a compensatory pick in 2022 and the Cowboys are already shopping him.
Griffen was traded late Tuesday.
2: DE Aldon Smith
One of the most amazing stories of this season is how Smith, who had a long and troubled history of substance abuse and personal conduct problems, returned to the league five years later and is playing as if he'd never left. Smith has four sacks, three TFLs, and eight QB hits this year. He'd immediately juice up Buffalo's edge rush, and he's playing for a dirt-cheap contract at the age of 31. (It’s just a few hundred thousand dollars.)
3: NT Dontari Poe
His whole career, he's been a 350-pound wrecking ball on the defensive interior. Coming off a quad injury, he's not as dynamic this year, and only has seven tackles. But first and foremost, the Bills need a tone-setter who can take up multiple blockers, and that's within his capabilities. Poe, 30, has just over $1 million left on his contract for 2020 and is under contract for $3.5 million in 2021.
4: CB Chidobe Awuzie
He started the last two seasons for the Cowboys, and with 150 tackles and 25 passes defended in that span, he was always near the football. A hamstring injury limited him to only two games this year. He's in the final season of a rookie contract so there’s potential for a compensatory pick or a long-term re-sign in the future for the 25-year-old cornerback.
5: S Xavier Woods
A versatile defensive back, originally a sixth-round pick, who has been Dallas’ starting free safety for the past three seasons. He can play deep or man up in the slot; if the Bills want to upgrade Taron Johnson or Dean Marlowe, he could do it. He has a nose for the football and a knack for big plays, but hasn't played well this year. Also in the final year of his rookie contract.
6. CB Jourdan Lewis
Another cornerback in the final year of his rookie contract, Lewis could play in the slot or outside, but is more primarily a nickel back. He's been the top reserve cornerback for the Cowboys for most of his career.
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