There have been some trade chatter picking up in recent days centered around the Dallas Cowboys. With training camp in full swing, it has become evident that the Cowboys have a lot of depth at a few positions on the roster, one of them being the defensive line.
While you can never have too much depth in the trenches, Dallas would certainly be dealing from a position of strength. There just isn’t enough playing time for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to allocate amongst the players, which could lead to deals getting done.
Trading a player away in exchange for some draft capital is certainly better than just cutting them for nothing. That is the situation the Cowboys are attempting to wade through, as they figure out just how many of their defensive linemen they can keep.
Recently, it was suggested that they make a trade with the Seattle Seahawks centered around Dorance Armstrong Jr. On an expiring contract and with young players on the roster that need developing, Armstrong made sense as a trade target.
However, a more recent update has thrown some cold water on the idea. According to Mike Fischer of Sports Illustrated, Seattle doesn’t seem to have an interest in making a trade with Dallas.
“We think this is a silly idea – he’s a stud on an affordable contract. But Armstrong is out of contract after this season. So … are the Cowboys so deep at defensive end that they’d rather trade Armstrong (some have suggested a fourth-round pick) rather than play him in 2023 before letting him go free in 2023 … and then netting a pick not dissimilar to the one being gossiped about?
“ESPN’s Dan Graziano is among those suggesting ideas like this, the NFL insider citing Seattle as a potential trade partner. Problem: A source inside the Seahawks tells CowboysSI.com that Seattle is presently satisfied with its group.”
The one thing that held the Seahawks back last season from truly taking off was their defense. But, they seem confident in that group turning things around in the 2023 season.
Armstrong, who was a fourth-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2018 NFL Draft, is coming off his best season as a pro. He had 8.5 sacks in 2022, which followed up a previous career-high of 5.0 in 2021.
An emerging pass rusher, he is someone that the Cowboys don’t want to move on from, but it could be in their best long-term interest to do so. It will be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks with roster cutdowns not far off.
