Cowboys Trades at Training Camp? Fish Ranks Top 10 Possible Moves

Mike Fisher ranks the top 10 possible trade candidates at Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard.

FRISCO - Trades in the NFL happen almost infinitely less than trades in the NFL get talked about by media and fans. But ... when a club as a seemingly loaded roster, as is the case with the Dallas Cowboys? There figure to be names in Oxnard at training camp that won't end up fitting on this 53-man squad ... But might nicely as a need for one of the other 31 teams.

On the flip side? It could be the Cowboys who deal with an injury or who discover a void once practice intensity is raised, once the pads go on, and once the preseason schedule unfolds.

In the spirit of all of that, in the order of most-likely first, my Top 10 Ranking of Possible Camp Trade Candidates ...

1 - Defensive lineman Neville Gallimore. This name keeps popping up, and not necessarily because he's done anything wrong. But some of his contemporaries have risen above him. And in another notable case, a newcomer, rookie Mazi Smith, is going to fight his way to the top to play alongside Osa. It's suddenly crowded up there.

2 - Defensive back Jourdan Lewis. The Cowboys have done this in a subtle way with a youth movement and they've done it in a noticeable way with personnel. DaRon Bland is one of handful of kids who might make the rehabbing Lewis expendable. Meanwhile, while Lewis is undoubtedly a playmaker, coordinator Dan Quinn has all of that and more in his "3-Headed Monster'' at safety.

3 - Defensive lineman Chauncey Golston. He can be a good utility piece in Dallas. But he could be more than that elsewhere.

4 - Offensive lineman Matt Farniok. If there is such a thing as a "self-made player,'' this guy is on that list. (At The Star, the No. 1 guy on that list is fellow O-lineman Terence Steele, by the way.) This was a guy who was specifically drafted to be a backup center in the seventh round of 2021. If Steele is healthy and if Dallas is wise enough to simply put last year’s top pick Tyler Smith at left guard (with Tyron Smith at left tackle), Farniok sits. Could he start elsewhere?

5 - Offensive lineman Chuma Edoga. Dallas has chased Edoga for quite some time before this spring's low-key free agent signing. He's got size and he's got some starting experience. But same story as above: If Dallas gets through camp healthy in the O-line, fewer insurance policies are required.

6 - Tight end Sean McKeon. How many tight ends do the Cowboys need? McKeon is a blocking specialist, but can't starter Jake Ferguson do that? And aren't the Cowboys promising that second-round rookie Luke Schoonmaker definitely can? Peyton Hendershot makes the team, too, so ... We wonder if, should the Cowboys fall in love with UDFA rookie fullback Hunter Luepke, he might be versatile enough to be the "fourth tight end'' in certain blocking situations.

7 - Defensive back Kelvin Joseph. Some have characterized "BossMan Fat'' practicing at other positions rather than at boundary corner as some sort of sign of "growth.'' The truth is, while he's had a solid offseason, this is a demotion. 

8 - Quarterback Will Grier. Unlikely because he's got such great talent in Dallas? No, that's not why. Every year, every team thinks every other team wants to steal their backup QBs. And nobody does. The Cowboys need a third guy - the plan to draft a developmental arm didn't work out - and that guy is Grier.

9 - Running back Rico Dowdle. What we're envisioning here: Dallas sits Tony Pollard for the bulk of the preseason action while showcasing Ronald Jones, Malik Davis and Dowdle (and rookie Deuce Vaughn, with whispered plans to avoid cutting him). Davis and Dowdle both play well. The Cowboys dangle Dowdle.

10 - Quarterback Cooper Rush. Nope, nope, nope. The Cowboys labored to unearth a No. 2 QB behind Dak Prescott who could bus-drive wins in a pinch. After cutting Rush a skillion or so times over the years, he's now got a two-year contract. Forget that Raiders rumor' Cooper Rush is the "12th starter'' in Dallas' new "Texas Coast Offense'' and has in fact, behind the scenes, been a key guy in helping coach Mike McCarthy install it. He's staying.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.