Trade Trysten? Or is Hill Finally Emerging For Cowboys?

Following a standout performance against the Los Angeles Chargers on preseason game 2, Hill appears poised to take on a prominent role along Dallas’ defensive line.

While there is clearly still room for improvement, the Dallas Cowboys are looking every bit like a formidable force in the NFC in 2022.

Dallas made strides in correcting its offensive woes, tightened its defense, and showed some explosive special-teams prowess in their 32-18 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.

One of the Cowboys’ most prominent standouts from their second preseason matchup was defensive tackle Trysten Hill.

Since being drafted by Dallas in the second round (58th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft, Hill has been slow to live up to his first-year hype. Throughout his first three seasons in Dallas, Hill has compiled 27 total tackles (2 for loss), eight quarterback hits, and 0.5 sacks in 18 games played.

However, Hill has begun to emerge as a potential key component in Dallas’ defensive front in 2022. In the Cowboys’ matchup with the Chargers, he was arguably the best interior defensive lineman on the field. While he finished the game with three tackles, his standout moment came in the second quarter. Hill registered the elusive trifecta of a sack-strip-fumble recovery, setting up a touchdown which capped a 22-point second quarter for Dallas.

As he enters his fourth and final season on his rookie contract, Hill appears poised to earn a notable role along the Cowboys’ defensive line alongside presumed starters Neville Gallimore and Osa Odighizuwa.

When healthy, Gallimore is among the team’s best defensive linemen, and has done a great job holding down the defensive tackle position from the right side. In 2020, he appeared in 14 games with 9 starts, collecting 26 tackles (four for loss), 0.5 sacks, 12 quarterback pressures and one pass defended.

However, an elbow injury kept him from the field for much of 2021. The Oklahoma product was placed on injured reserve to start the season. He was activated on December 11 for Week 14. Appearing in five games for the Cowboys, he collected 1.5 sacks, 13 combined tackles [3 for losses] and two quarterback hits

In his absence, Odighizuwa earned valuable playing time, combining for 21 tackles, logging two sacks and six stuffs. Heading into his second season with the team, Odighizuwa is expected to challenge for a notable role at 3-tech position. As the amount of his reps with the first unit increased throughout training camp, Odighizuwa proved that he was more than capable at a high level with Dallas’ defensive starters.

Ultimately, Odighizuwa and Gallimore may be a potent starting pairing for the Cowboys on the interior of the defensive line.

However, it is becoming obvious that Trysten Hill is both ready and set to be counted among Dallas’ most prominent defensive linemen in 2022. … or, if believe trade gossip, to accomplish that for somebody.

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