Cowboys Trade BREAKING: DT Johnathan Hankins to Dallas from Raiders - Help for Dak Prescott, Too

The Dallas Cowboys enjoyed a successful return of starting quarterback Dak Prescott, but the defense is still the reason for this team's 5-2 record. And now comes more help in the form of a trade

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring veteran defensive tackle help in the form of Las Vegas Raiders vet Johnathan Hankins, with the trade price only a late-round flip. ... and with the goal, in a sense, to actually help Dak Prescott.

The Cowboys enjoyed the luxury of a 4-1 record with backup quarterback Cooper Rush subbing for starter Dak Prescott during Prescott's rehab from a Week 1 broken thumb.

While many predicted a lost season immediately after the injury, a combination of Rush's ability to operate the offense without making mistakes and the domination of the defense helped carry the Cowboys to a winning record without Prescott entering the Philadelphia Eagles game.

And now the defense - which certainly showed up - is getting help.

And it's going to help Dak, too.

This is a dump deal for the Raiders; Dallas will send a 2023 sixth-round pick to Las Vegas and the Raiders will send a 2023 seventh-rounder back to Dallas. But this can be an impactful move for the Cowboys, especially as it marks a change in philosophy.

Over the years, Hankins - a 2013 second-round pick for the Giants - has come available to the Cowboys, and they've always passed. Why? The big-body guy wasn't their style at defensive tackle.

Hankins, age 30, is 6-3, 340 and in the final year of a contract that has no real impact on the Dallas cap, so ... The big-body guy is now in style at The Star. He has in his career gotten upfield as a pass-rusher, but mostly, he'll stuff the run. He will do so as part of a D-line that last weekend saw Neville Gallimore inactive, with Carlos Watkins and Trysten Hill both getting to dress out.

How does Dallas' "Doomsday 4'' D beefing up help Dak?

Expectations were varied, but for the most part, Prescott's return was successful as he completed 19 of 25 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown, to the tune of a 24-6 victory over Detroit last week.

But Prescott knows where the heart of the team lies.

"The last thing I'm trying to do is put this team in a bad position because I'm overconfident," Prescott said after the win over Detroit. "When you have a defense like this, you have to continue to go through the reads and take a check down here or there, and it will pay off."

The recent offensive struggles are uncharacteristic for an offensive-minded Cowboys team, but hope is high that Prescott can ignite scoring back into the team.

"We are not going to put any limitations on what we can do," Prescott said. "As I said, it's important to grow each and every day. That's what I told the team today. This was a great win, celebrate it and enjoy it but tomorrow we have to come in and get better."

The Dallas front office was listening. With two moves coming within an hour of one another (the Cowboys working to also add former Falcons starting cornerback Kendall Sheffield) ... the roster just "got better.''

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