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Having won their first NFC East crown since 2018 and their fourth since 2010, the Dallas Cowboys have a lot to build off of heading into the 2022-23 NFL season. After addressing some roster needs through the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cowboys roster looks a lot better than it did when they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the postseason.
Having traded away Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for peanuts, Dak Prescott will need to rely more on CeeDee Lamb and resigned Michael Gallup, along with rookie Jalen Torbert. With their offensive playmakers needing to stay healthy this year with less depth to rely on, the Cowboys may end up in a bind if a serious injury or two impacts them.
However, this issue (and others) can easily be addressed by making the most of the remaining offseason before heading into training camp.
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2 Cowboys Moves After The 2022 NFL Draft
2. Find a Complementary TE for Dalton Schultz
After Blake Jarwin was released this offseason due to nagging injuries, Dalton Schultz was essentially handed the TE1 role for the Cowboys. Coming off a monster season (78/808/8), the 26-year-old is currently locked into the franchise tag for Dallas, but a likely extension is forthcoming to keep him on the team for longer.
Outside of Schultz, incumbent veteran Jeremy Sprinkle and fourth-round rookie Jake Ferguson are the primary backups, leaving this position quite thin.
If looking in the bargain bin of free agency, Jared Cook or Chris Herndon make the most sense to bring in – and don’t consider Rob Gronkowski, seeing as how the Cowboys roster is already tied up in too much salary to afford him.
Through a trade, Dallas could consider aiming for JAX’s Dan Arnold or MIA’s Adam Shaheen, two options either on bad squads or far down the pecking order for targets. Whatever route the Cowboys take, they need to bring in one more option at TE before the season begins.
1. Trade for a Safety (namely Chuck Clark or Harrison Smith)
With the recent first-round selection of Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton, the Baltimore Ravens now have a plethora of starting-caliber safeties on their hands, with Hamilton, Chuck Clark, and free-agent signee Marcus Williams from the Saints.
Having recently turned 27 years old, Clark has a bunch of good years left in the tank, meaning the Cowboys would be smart to take advantage of the situation, which has seen apparent interest already drummed up for Clark’s potential new team. While an official trade request has not yet been submitted by Clark’s camp, all signs point to him being interested in a change of scenery, a perfect opportunity for Dallas to jump at.
On the other side of the equation is the older veteran option in Harrison Smith, another Notre Dame safety that has played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings. Now 32 years old, Smith is quite pricey (4th-most expensive NFL safety) for his age, but with a potential out after the 2022-23 season, the Cowboys could look into taking a chance on him to see if he is worth the cost.
Smith would cost less than Clark would in a trade, and each player brings their own plusses and minuses to the table. While cost-cutting measures would likely need to be implemented if acquiring Smith (unless the Vikings covered part of Smith’s ‘22 salary), Clark comes with only two more years on his deal at a much cheaper rate than Smith.
Regardless of the path the Cowboys take, their defensive secondary needs a leader at safety, and both Clark and Smith can provide that in a trade.