Dallas Cowboys: 4 trade targets to round out 2022 roster

Dallas Cowboys Trade Target No. 1: Deion Jones, LB

Last season, the Dallas Cowboys added Micah Parsons with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft and he proved to be a superstar. He won the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award after tallying 13 sacks and gave the front office the confidence they needed to move on from Jaylon Smith.

They also nearly moved on from Leighton Vander Esch, their 2018 first-round pick. Originally, Dallas declined his fifth-year option and LVE was a free agent this year. He didn’t seem to garner much attention but did re-sign on a one-year deal with the Cowboys.

Still, he’s not a lock to be a starter since his deal isn’t exactly a rich one — and the Cowboys would be smart to keep looking for players who might become available. One such possibility is Deion Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.

Jones was a superstar to begin his career with the Falcons, but his PFF grade took a nosedive in 2021 — which was the first full season he had without Dan Quinn as his coach. With Quinn in Dallas, it could make sense for a reunion as Jones tries to get back to form and the Cowboys look for what they had with Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch back in 2018 — back when both were playing well.

The question, of course, would be whether or not Atlanta would be willing to move on from Jones. On one hand, they seem to have punted on the season since they plan to roll with Marcus Mariota under center. On the other, they did re-sign Grady Jarrett to a big extension so maybe they think they will be competitive.

Either way, it doesn’t hurt to at least make the call, and Dallas should do this to see if they can add another playmaker to their defense.