Cowboys Urged to Trade for Panthers’ 9-Year Veteran: ‘Terrific Trade Target’

Getty The Cowboys could be an ideal trade destination for Panthers CB Troy Hill.

The Dallas Cowboys may want to pull off one more trade before the deadline on October 31.

As suggested by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Cowboys “should” try to acquire Carolina Panthers cornerback Troy Hill. The nine-year veteran is currently a backup cornerback with the Panthers, but has been a “bright spot” on a 0-6 Carolina squad, according to Knox.

Although team owner Jerry Jones has been vocal about the team not initiating trade talks before Tuesday’s deadline, Knox argues that Hill can provide valuable depth to a Cowboys defensive backfield following the early season-ending injury to Trevon Diggs.

“The Cowboys defense has been solid, even after the loss of cornerback Trevon Diggs to a season-ending ACL tear,” writes Knox. “Dallas is allowing an average of only 5.7 yards per pass attempt on the season. But is the Cowboys defense in a position to turn down a quality cornerback? Blowout losses to the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers would suggest otherwise.”

Why Troy Hill Would Be Valuable CB for Cowboys

The 32-year-old veteran cornerback has played for a number of teams over the course of his nine-year career, spending stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns in addition to his current tenure with the Panthers.

Although Hill is currently a backup with the Panthers, he plays a valuable role on defense, appearing in 44% of the defensive snaps this season. He has seen a great portion of his snaps as the nickel cornerback, appearing in 88 snaps as the slot corner.

To top it all off, Hill has started 55 of his 103 career appearances. He provides versatility as being capable of playing both on the outside and the inside.

Cowboys’ Pass Defense Lacking Depth After Top Three Cornerbacks

The Cowboys’ pass defense has actually been a solid unit following the injury to Diggs during a practice after Week 2. They’re allowing just 177 passing yards per game this season, which ranks third in the NFL. However, they’ve started to slow down over their past three outings, allowing 223.3 passing yards per game, ranking 18th in the NFL. That just so coincides with tough matchups against teams such as the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers in recent weeks.

Dallas’ current top three cornerbacks are Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland — who they shifted from the nickel position — on the outside and veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis at the nickel spot. While the Cowboys’ current trio of cornerbacks are solid, the unit is one injury away from potential disaster.

The Cowboys faced a similar scenario last season when they lost Lewis and former longtime cornerback Anthony Brown to season-ending injuries during the regular season. The team then signed veteran free agents such as Xavier Rhodes and Mackensie Alexander prior to their playoff run as they lacked depth at the position.

Outside of Dallas’ top three cornerbacks are Nahshon Wright — who has appeared in just one game this season and has three careers starts — and Noah Igbinoghene, who has seen the vast majority of his playing time on special teams this season, appearing on 63 special teams snaps in comparison to just 25 defensive snaps.

Acquiring Hill would provide security and insurance for a Cowboys team seeking to make a deep playoff run. When you factor in that Dallas is due to face passing-heavy teams such as the Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles and the Jared Goff-led Detroit Lions in the playoffs, depth at cornerback is a necessity.

The Cowboys may not be due to pull off a big trade at the deadline after making three high-profile trades earlier in the year — Gilmore, Brandin Cooks and Trey Lance — but they could be due to make a valuable move for depth purposes by acquiring a player like Hill.