Cowboys Draft 2020: Two potential trade partners looking for a pass rusher

The Dallas Cowboys are heading in to the 2020 NFL Draft like the other NFL teams; they have seen the players on tape, but haven’t been able to get their hands on them to work them out. With that in mind, teams may be more inclined to reach, which means more wheeling and dealing to make sure they get the player they believe will best improve their teams. For the Cowboys, this could be an opportunity to trade back in the draft.

The Cowboys have a few holes to fill, and once quarterback Dak Prescott receives his new contract they will have less money to pay players they want to keep in the future. To counter this they need more players that come with a cheaper price tag. Those cheaper players would allow the Cowboys to either bring in free agents, or sign their own, without having to worry about losing players like cornerback Byron Jones and defensive end Robert Quinn.

One position group that can always drive teams to reach is pass rushers. Yes, the Cowboys do need a pass rusher to replace Quinn’s 11.5 sacks last season. But the Cowboys were able to find Quinn through a trade late in the offseason, and they could do something similar again. There are also a number of free agent pass rushers still on the market. While we would like Everson Griffen, there are other layers like Jabaal Sheard, Markus Golden, Vinny Curry, and Clay Matthews. With Mike Nolan planning to run 4-3 and 3-4 fronts, that brings in a wider array of situational pass rushers. Not to mention they are banking on having Randy Gregory back this season and Tyrone Crawford will be back in the mix. Now, you can add the signing of Aldon Smith if he is reinstated. All of those factors give the Cowboys the ability to make a move if someone is willing to deal during the draft.

With that being said, here are the two teams that could make a deal with the Cowboys during the draft and what they would possibly need to give up to complete the deal using the NFL trade value chart. Both teams have history with each other with one coach playing for the other. They also run similar defensive schemes, so they will most likely target the same player which could benefit the Cowboys.

New England Patriots

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Team needs: QB, WR, Edge, IOL, OT

For a team that routinely trades back in the draft they have a quite a few glaring needs going into this draft. You would think the biggest glaring need for the Patriots would be replacing Tom Brady, but after resigning Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham, they have two quarterbacks that know the system well. What the Patriots really need is to add a pass rusher after losing Jamie Collins to the Detroit Lions and Kyle Van Noy to the Miami Dolphins. If the Patriots have a player in mind, they have to jump a few teams to get there.

To acquire the Cowboys 17th pick (950 points) they will need to give up their 23rd pick (760 points), 100th pick (100 points), and their 125th pick (47 points) to get close to having the Cowboys make that move. Even then it may not be enough to get Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones to bite unless they add their 172nd pick (21.4 points). This would be a great deal for the Cowboys if they are looking for more picks to fill out the roster, it’s also a pretty good deal if you use the trade value chart.

Tennessee Titans

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Team Needs: Edge, DL, OT

The Tennessee Titans surprised a lot of people when they went on that improbable run in the playoffs last year. A lot of that praise should go to their defensive secondary that helped shut down the opponents. The one area that under-performed for this team during that run was their defensive line and their lack of a pass rush. Harold Landry and Cameron Wake just weren’t able to get the job done, so they let Wake walk in free agency while signing Vic Beasley to a one-year deal to help, but it still may not be enough to bolster their pass rush. The deal with Beasley seems more like a way to cover themselves if they can’t get another pass rusher. If that player starts to slide down the draft board they could reach for another outside linebacker to fill their need.

The Titans will also have to jump a few teams to get to these top pass rushers in the draft. Teams like the Patriots, Jaguars, and Vikings all need a pass rusher after losing players in free agency. So if the Titans try to trade for the Cowboys 17th pick (950), they will need to give up their 29th pick (640) and their 61st pick (292). This may be the better deal for the Cowboys if they are looking to pick up another pick in the top 100 picks in the draft.

There’s no guarantee that either of these teams will pick up the phone and call the Cowboys. But if there is a chance that either of these situations can happen, the Dallas Cowboys should at least listen to them, or any team that is willing to give up picks for a player they are desperate to draft.