The Cowboys were able to use Packers CB Rasul Douglas in their defensive backfield.
As the trade deadline approaches, the Dallas Cowboys have a key position they could look to add.
According to a trade scenario proposed by Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network, the Cowboys would acquire Green Bay Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick. Although Dallas currently does not have a 2024 fifth-round pick — they traded theirs during the 2023 NFL Draft — they could either acquire it at the deadline or trade their 2025 fifth-round pick instead.
After the season-ending injury to No. 1 cornerback Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys’ new nickel back is now Stephon Gilmore and former nickel back DaRon Bland on the outside and Jourdan Lewis on the inside. By acquiring Douglas, they could move Bland back to the nickel position and stick Douglas on the outside at corner, as Robinson suggested.
“Instead, Dallas moved slot corner DaRon Bland to the outside to play with Stephon Gilmore,” Robinson writes. – He was great, but Jourdan Lewis was struggling inside. Are the Cowboys considering adding another outside CB and moving Bland back to nickel?
A possible trade of Rasul Douglas would affect the future
Douglas’ move would not only affect the Cowboys’ current season, but also have an impact on the team’s future beyond the 2023 season. That’s because Gilmore is a free agent through the 2024 offseason, while Douglas is under contract through the 2024 season. “Rasul Douglas has spent time both inside and outside during his NFL career, so he would give Dallas options,” Robinson writes. “He’s also under contract through 2024, so he could stay on the Cowboys’ roster and take over for Gilmore, who is set to hit free agency next spring.”
Douglas is the Packers’ starting cornerback through the 2021 season after starting his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. Douglas won the Super Bowl at the end of the season, but started five games and played 48 percent of the snaps. defensive shots.
The 28-year-old veteran has started 56 of 95 games and is coming off a banner year in which he had a career-high 85 tackles last season.
Rasul Douglas is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL
Despite the Packers’ weak play on defense this season — they finished 21st in points allowed — their pass defense is a strong part of their unit. They are eighth in passing yards, fifth in passing yards and ninth in yards allowed.
Douglas is one of the main reasons for the strong level of play. According to Pro Football Focus, Douglas posted an 80.7 defensive grade and an 85.6 coverage grade this season. Among cornerbacks (with at least 100 snaps), Douglas is eighth in defensive class and third in coverage class.
His versatility makes signing Douglas even more attractive. He played 198 passes in slot defense last season.
While signing Douglas could certainly boost the Cowboys’ defense, team owner Jerry Jones played down the idea of ​​a trade before the Oct. 31 deadline.
“I don’t think anything is at a level where I expect to do anything. I don’t see anything heating up to a level that would make anything happen,” Jones said Thursday, the 26th.
Even if Jones continues to think the Cowboys will stick around at the deadline, the idea of ​​getting a starting cornerback like Douglas for a late-round pick would be too good to pass up. DJ Siddiqi covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before joining Heavy, he wrote about the NFL and NBA for Forbes, ClutchPoints, CBS Sports, 24/7 Sports and Bleacher Report. More about DJ Siddiq
