The 2024 off-season is getting underway and the Cowboys roster needs serious improvement.
Free agency is on the horizon and the team is busy at work at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The front office has been open about the fact that they need to improve certain positions groups and that can happen in a few different ways.
Dallas will obviously make a few moves in free agency, but we can't expect too much with money being tight.
On the draft side of things, the Cowboys have just 4 draft picks right now. They should gain some compensatory picks once those are given out, but still, it is not enough to make all the improvements necessary.
This means that Dallas is going to have to get a little creative to build their 2024 roster into a true Super Bowl contender, and making trades could be the way to do that.
We saw how much the Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks trades helped them last season.
Making a few trades could be the best thing for Dallas this offseason, even if they aren't all blockbusters.
Let's take a look at three trades that could help the Cowboys' roster improve in 2024.
Michael Gallup for a late-round pick
Addition by subtraction can be a great thing for teams, and that is exactly what this move would be.
The Michael Gallup contract has been a total dud.
He never fully came back from his ACL injury and at this point, he is hurting Dallas more than he is helping.
Gallup has not had a season where he put up over 445 receiving yards since 2020, and he is now five seasons removed from his career year in 2019; that was the only time he had over 1,000 yards.
Gallup accounts for nearly $14M against the salary cap in 2024. When you match that against his production, the value is just not there.
With the Cowboys needing to gain money wherever they can find it, this is the obvious first place to look. If Dallas can move off of Gallup and gain a late-round pick in the process, they can shed some money and pick up a pick instead of just cutting him.
This would essentially be the opposite of the Cooks trade, where this time the Cowboys would be the one dealing a veteran receiver for a late-round pick.
https://twitter.com/jasrifootball/status/1763656794663002164
They could end up just releasing Gallup, but with the expected interest in him, it would be silly to not try to get a draft pick for him first. This doesn't have to be a move without anything in return.
Don't expect the return to be all that much, but this is still an important move for the Cowboys to make.
Acquire Haason Reddick from the Eagles
The first actual trade rumor in Dallas has picked up some steam, and the call is coming from inside the division.
Reports have surfaced about the Cowboys' interest in Eagles star pass rusher, Haason Reddick. This move might be unlikely solely on the grounds of the inner-division aspect, but, if there is room to make this trade work, Dallas has to pursue it.
REDDICK TO RIVAL?!
Source: #Cowboys 'Interested' in Trade for Haason Reddick; Would #Eagles Deal in NFC East? https://t.co/ApAyNLovhy via @fishsports pic.twitter.com/XwldWw5g7y
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) March 1, 2024
Reddick has put together four straight seasons with 11+ sacks.
He also has 23 and 26 quarterback hits in the last two years; he is the best pass-rusher in the NFC East outside of Micah Parsons.
Reddick is an All-Pro type of talent, and his time in Philly may be ending.
At this point in the offseason, there is a lot of speculation and smoke, but, the fact that Reddick's name has been in other rumors before this gives the Cowboys rumor at least some credibility.
There is also a need for a pass rusher in Dallas with both Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr headed for free agency.
Even without those two rotational pieces potentially leaving, Micah Parsons could use some help.
This is also to say that while it may sound like a crazy possibility, the actual fit makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys roster. DeMarcus Lawrence isn't getting any younger and the defense could use another star.
Reddick might be the man for the job.
Again, this isn't too likely because of the division connection and the cost of Reddick, but I do believe the Cowboys are interested.
Once there is interest, anything can happen.
Pair the Diggs brothers in Dallas
You can't talk about Cowboys trades without talking about this possibility.
There have been rumors of Stefon Diggs coming to Dallas since they drafted Trevon Diggs, but things seem a bit more serious now.
The Diggs boys
📺: #DALvsBUF on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/y2uLjmCwOG— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2023
Anybody who paid attention to the Bills this season knows of the very strange year Diggs had. From dominating like he normally does in the first six weeks, Diggs fell off hard the rest of the way.
After having 100+ yards in five of the first six weeks, he did not record another hundred-yard game over the next 13 weeks, including in the playoffs.
It wasn't because his talent randomly got zapped away.
There were some obvious connection problems between him and Josh Allen throughout the year. Diggs seemed frustrated on the sidelines, ignored on the field, and was making cryptic social media posts the whole way through.
In Dallas, there is a need for a receiver. We already talked about the likely Gallup move and there is a growing possibility they could go wide receiver in the first round of the draft.
The question is, why do that when you can pursue one of the league's best?
The answer is the steep cost it might take, but Diggs' value has taken a hit from where it was in years past.
He is in his thirties now and coming off his worst statistical season since 2019; there is also a potential out of his huge contract following the 2024 season, which could make this more of a rental deal than anything.
Pairing Diggs with CeeDee Lamb, Cooks, and Jake Ferguson gives the Cowboys roster Super Bowl-level weaponry for Dak Prescott.
If the Cowboys want to talk the talk about being all-in, they should walk the walk and explore a deal for Diggs.
