After ACC and others throw support behind 24-team CFP, the ball is now in the SEC's court
The ACC and others back a 24-team CFP, awaiting SEC's decision.
The Dallas Cowboys may struggle to trade surplus players due to a solid depth chart and limited trade value. Key players like Malik Hooker could be potential trade options, but the team might hesitate to part with them.
âThe Cowboys have a surprisingly solid two-deep across their depth chart.â After years of deriding the Cowboys for their stars-and-scrubs approach and the accompanying lack of quality depth across the roster, that line was jarring, but upon further inspection it felt true. The Cowboys may not have world-beaters at every starting position â and Schatz points out that while edge rusher isnât a hole per se, the position still has questions for the Cowboys â the talent at the second level looks more promising than it has for years. The Cowboys wonât issue a depth chart until the first preseason game, so weâll turn to the Ourlads.com depth charts (which are usually quite accurate) to see what the depth currently looks like for the Cowboys, starting with the defense. First though, weâll look at how many players made the season opening roster last year for Vic Fangioâs, and by extension Chris Parkerâs, defense in Philly and compare that to the Cowboysâ numbers: Philly Wk1, 2025: **10 DL** (incl. OLBs), **4 LBs**, **10 DBs** (6 CBs, 4 S) Dallas Wk1, 2025: **11 DL**, **6 LBs**, **10 DBs** (6 CBs, 4 S) The Cowboys started the season with 27 players on defense, the Eagles started with 24. For our purposes, weâll assume the Cowboys follow the Philly model this year, with 24 defenders and the same split the Eagles had last year. This is what the presumptive depth chart would look like: body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Pos** | **Starter** | **Backup** | **Depth 1** | **Depth 2** | | **LOLB** | **Gary, Rashan** | **Lawrence, Malachi** | Liufau, Marist | Land, Isaiah | | **DT** | **Williams, Quinnen** | **Overton, LT** | Odeleye, Adedayo | | | **NT** | **Ogbonnia, Otito** | **Toia, Jay** | Dunn, Tommy | Gilliam, Kelvin | | **DT** | **Clark, Kenny** | **Bullard, Jonathan** | Withers, DJ | | | **ROLB** | **Ezeiruaku, Donovan** | **, James** | Williams, Sam | Wheat, Tyrus | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | **LILB** | **Overshown, DeMarvion** | **James, Shemar** | Robinson, Curtis | Patterson, Langston | | **RILB** | **Winters, Dee** | **Barham, Jaishawn** | Barron, Justin | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | **LCB** | **Bland, DaRon** | **Moore, Devin** | Carson, Caelen | Butler, Josh | | **RCB** | **Durant, Cobie** | **Revel, Shavon** | Bridges, Trikweze | Kendrick, Derion | | **NB** | **Downs, Caleb** | **Steward, Reddy** | Ballentine, Corey | Childress, Zion | | **SS** | **Thompson, Jalen** | **Bell, Markquese** | Wood, Julius | | | **FS** | **Hooker, Malik** | **Locke, P.J.** | Clark, Alijah | | | | | | | | | **Legend** | **Bold = Top 24** | Free Agents/Trade | Draft Picks | UDFAs | The starters and backups (marked in bold) add up to 24 players, so thatâs the Cowboysâ presumptive defense at this point. At first glance, that leaves the 19 players in the depth columns as excess players, but do any of them have any trade value? and Caelon Carson might draw some moderate interest based on their draft pedigree and the two years left on their rookie contracts. But do the Cowboys really want to give up on either player after just two years? Probably not. There might be more interesting trade options among the presumptive starters, and two players stand out here. is listed as the starter by Ourlads, but he might be already have been relegated to backup by this point. In any case, the Cowboys brought in two safeties via free agency and one via the draft. There might not be a lot of snaps left for the fourth safety, and if the younger guys push hard enough in training camp, Hooker, a former first-round pick, might make some interesting trade bait for the Cowboys. And if the Cowboys decide to stick with Hooker, might be an interesting, low-cost alternative for a safety-needy team. The Cowboys would have to take a $6.2 million cap hit in a trade, but the trade partner would get a 27-year-old safety, with four years of experience, who is under contract for two more years at a ridiculously low $3.8 million over those two years. On offense, itâs equally important to understand how the Cowboys started last year:
The Cowboys have a solid two-deep depth chart, which limits the number of surplus players available for trade.
Malik Hooker and Markquese Bell are potential trade candidates, but their value may be limited due to their roles and performance.
The Cowboys are expected to have 24 players on defense, including 11 defensive linemen and 10 defensive backs.
The Cowboys have 27 players on defense compared to the Eagles' 24, indicating a deeper roster this season.
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