The Dallas Cowboys are relying on the 2024 NFL draft over free agency to improve the team’s roster. With several positions to address, the Cowboys may need to consider trading back to gain more draft capital.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell presented several potential trade options for Dallas to consider. One proposal has the Cowboys making a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to move down from No. 24 to No. 32 in the first round.
Dallas also gains two additional selections in the third- and fifth-rounds to move down eight spots. The proposed deal sends the No. 95 and No. 159 picks to the Cowboys as part of the trade.
“CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are due new deals that should reset their respective positional markets,” Barnwell wrote in an April 18, 2024 story titled, “2024 NFL mock draft with all trades: Deals for 32 first-round picks.” “Dak Prescott holds all the leverage in his negotiations with the Cowboys, as the quarterback is entering the final year of his deal and cannot be franchised before the 2025 campaign. Those three players have combined to make just under $48 million per year on their current deals; their new contracts could add up to $135 million per season.
“The only way to make that work is to cut back elsewhere, which is why the Cowboys have let a handful of starters leave this offseason without replacements,” Barnwell continued. “They are going to need to draft well and draft often to thrive with such a top-heavy roster, so moving down and adding two extra picks is logical. Pick No. 159 was originally theirs, but they traded it away last year to use a sixth-rounder on Eric Scott, a safety who spent all of 2023 as a healthy scratch and turns 26 before the start of the season.”
Cowboys Rumors: Who Will Dallas Select at No. 24?
Dallas has plenty of options on draft day, including remaining at No. 24 to select a player. A handful of offensive linemen have been a popular projection for the Cowboys in mock drafts.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Dallas selecting Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton at No. 24 in his latest mock draft. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager predicted Dallas will add some speed to help Dak Prescott by snagging Texas wideout Xavier Worthy.
“Officially the fastest man in combine history, Worthy would be a wonderful addition as a deep threat for Dak Prescott,” Schrager noted in his April 16 NFL mock draft. “With contract issues looming over Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, the selection of Worthy would show both a commitment to adding pieces on offense without sacrificing major cap space in free agency.”
NFL Draft Rumors 2024: Chiefs Motivated to Move Up in the 1st Round?
As for the Chiefs, why would the defending champs be eager to move up in the draft? Barnwell suggested Kansas City could be targeting an offensive linemen to help protect Patrick Mahomes.
“The defending champs moved up from No. 29 to No. 22 two years ago, when they sent two picks to the Patriots and landed cornerback Trent McDuffie,” Barnwell noted. “The Chiefs were flush with selections then by virtue of the Tyreek Hill trade, which isn’t the case any longer. This would be a move up to address a critical position: left tackle, where Donovan Smith is a free agent and Wanya Morris didn’t impress as a rookie. Jumping the Packers and Ravens makes sense if there’s somebody Kansas City trusts to protect Patrick Mahomes’s blindside.”
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