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The 2023 NFL season is nearly here and the Dallas Cowboys' roster is nearly set.
With about two months left until the new year kicks off, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office will spend that time looking for ways to take a promising roster from good to great. There isn't a ton of cap room to do that, however. Anybody the Cowboys bring in is going to have to be relatively affordable. What's more, they'll need to be on a short contract with negotiations looming in the near future for several of Dallas' best young players.
The Cowboys' cap situation likely restricts them from the high end of the trade market. Los Angeles Chargers pass-rusher Khalil Mack is one player who could move before the 2023 season ends, but the $55 million worth of cap space he'll eat up over the next two seasons might price him out of the Dallas' range. The same would be true of some of the high-end receivers that could hit the market.
With that said, let's examine three potential Cowboys trade candidates—all of whom will play next season on expiring contracts—as training camp fast approaches.
Devin White, LB
Dallas' 2023 draft was a huge step in the right direction when it comes to fixing the defense's run-stopping woes from last year.
Mazi Smith and DeMarvion Overshown will be a shot in the arm to the Cowboys' run defense, but they're still only rookies. If Dallas really wants to make their defense the most elite in football, an uber-athletic field general like Devin White would be a huge help.
White reportedly requested a trade the week of this year's draft, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks to be headed straight for a rebuild with Tom Brady finally out of the league. White is set to be an unrestricted free agent when the season ends anyway, so the Bucs a should be motivated to move him while they still can.
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The veteran linebacker's $11 million cap hit fits well into Dallas' budget for this year, too. Veteran off-ball linebackers don't command much on the trade market, so the Cowboys may be able to add a championship-winning veteran to an exciting young group of linebackers for pennies on the dollar in White.
Donovan Smith, OT
A 30-year-old veteran who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency, Donovan Smith is a player the Cowboys may find themselves targeting out of necessity before too long.
Tyron Smith seems to spend less time on the field every season. After flipping to right tackle a year ago, it feels like the Cowboys are searching for any and every possibility just to get him on the field. When Smith is available he's one of the game's best players, but he just can't be relied on any more. Add to that equation Terence Steele's recent knee injury and the Cowboys could find themselves in a heap of trouble at tackle if his recovery doesn't go well.
Tyler Smith will provide a measure of consistency to the outside of Dallas' offensive line, but there's a good chance someone needs to step in and pick up the slack for an injured veteran at some point this year. The Cowboys had some success last year with Jason Peters after Tyron went down in training camp. Donovan Smith is a player the Cowboys could bring in as a swing tackle to have a plan in case something similar happens this season, especially if he doesn't nab a starting spot with the Chiefs.
Marquise Brown, WR
The Cowboys made a huge upgrade to their corps of wide receivers this offseason when they acquired Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans. If things go well in the first half of the year, Marquise Brown is a player Dallas could rescue from rotting away with the Arizona Cardinals to take that unit to the next level.
Brown would give the Cowboys a lot of what Cooks does: Top-end speed and downfield ability. What he would bring to Dallas that Cooks can't, however, is more depth. If the Cowboys could bring Brown in, Dallas' wide receiver room would look like one of the better ones in football.
