The Dallas Cowboys are off and getting ready for the Rams, and the players are getting a well-deserved week off while the coaching staff and front office look for ways to improve.
Since Trevon Diggs has been injured, cornerback has been a popular trade position. Here are five cornerbacks who could fit the bill for Dallas.
Broncos CB Fabian Moreau (2023 salary: $1.1 million)
Fabian Moreau is in his seventh season in the NFL, five of which have come in the NFC East. He has 35 tackles and six pass breakups in 95 career starts and has experience in both the outfield and the slot. That combination of experience and versatility could make him an under-the-radar addition.
Right now, Moreau is barely seeing the field against a terrible Broncos defense, playing just 6.8 percent of the snaps. That likely means he would come at a very low price, and Moreau’s contract, which expires in a year, is in line with what the team is reportedly looking for from a financial standpoint.
Vikings CB Andrew Booth Jr. (2023 salary: $1.08 million)
Andrew Booth Jr., a high second-round pick out of Georgia a year ago, came into the league with a big splash and has yet to continue. Booth was the university’s famous press corner, perfect for what Dan Quinn asks of his high school students. Booth barely played as a starter, playing most defensive snaps for just one game before a knee injury ended his season.
This year, Booth has seen a total of four defensive snaps in the first five weeks of the season under the new defensive coordinator. He represents a young and unproven player with attributes that seem like a good fit for Dallas, but he just isn’t seeing the field right now. With the Vikings as potential sellers, Booth could be on the table.
Giants CB Darnay Holmes (2023 salary: $1.01 million)
If the Cowboys want to keep DaRon Bland away and instead upgrade their slot, where Jourdan Lewis has struggled this year, they may have some options in the division. Darnay Holmes has been the Giants’ go-to receiver the past three years, posting a stellar 89.7 passer rating when targeted in the slot.
This year, however, Holmes was replaced by Adoree Jackson, who previously spent most of his time in the outfield with the Giants. Holmes is currently only playing 28.7 percent of his snaps, so he shouldn’t take too much. He’s also in the final year of his rookie deal, which could make him more attractive to Dallas.
Giants CB Cor’Dale Flott (2023 salary: $893,266)
Another Giants player, Cordale Flott, is in a similar situation to Holmes. At LSU, Flott was a versatile linebacker who excelled in the slot. The Giants mostly played him outside to keep Holmes inside, and the results weren’t great.
Flott is playing 25.8 percent of the snaps on defense this year, and unlike Holmes, he isn’t even seeing work on special teams. Like Booth, Flott is more of a positive target, but has good size and length that Quinn may lack. The question is really whether or not the Giants would trade one of their players in the division. Bears CB Jaylon Johnson (2023 salary: $2.99 ​​million)
Of all the realistic trade candidates (read: not Patrick Surtain II), Jaylon Johnson might make the most sense. Johnson fits Quinn’s size and length requirements by playing really good football. He recorded 31 pass breakups in his first three years and was the Bruins’ top cornerback during that span.
Why would he be available? Well, the bears are terrible this year. Add to that that Johnson is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the current administration has not drafted him, and in fact has already drafted three of their own cornerbacks. Johnson will likely play elsewhere next year, and if Chicago gets anything against him, it will be a (rare) win. He would also be a valuable addition in Dallas.
Of course, cornerback isn’t the only position of need in Dallas, as the team is extremely thin at cornerback. As Clarence Hill and Bryan Broaddus pointed out, bolstering those skill player positions wouldn’t hurt either. In that spirit, here are four other players who could become targets for the Cowboys.
Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (2023 salary: $2.6 million)
Frankie Luvu is the most expensive player on this side of the nine players Dallas could trade, but would be worth the investment. On a bad Panthers team, he was one of their best playmakers on defense two years in a row.
At just 27 years old, Luvu played in 77 games, recording 111 tackles, seven sacks and 19 tackles for loss in 2022. On the year, Luvu has two-game bests of 14 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks. The Panthers used Luvu the same way Dan Quinn used Micah Parsons. He can move around the defense and be disruptive from any position. What’s better than one, Micah Parsons? If there are two of them. Plus, he’s a free agent in 2024, and the Cowboys can walk away after that year if it doesn’t work out. Titans LB Azeez Al-Shaair (2023 salary: $1.08 million)
Azeez Al-Shaair was someone the Cowboys should have looked at this offseason. He became a free agent after being the odd man out in the San Francisco 49ers linebacker corps.
But don’t let that fool you. Al-Shaair was one of the hottest linemen in the NFL and finally came into his own a few years ago. He battled his share of injuries with the 49ers, but played in and started all six games for Tennessee. In the first two games of the season, he had 15 combined tackles in each game!.
The Cowboys could use more toughness at linebacker, depending on how long Leighton Vander Esch is out. Rashaan Evans should be pitched
