The left tackle position has been the source of plenty of speculation in recent days for the Cowboys. In a move aimed at adding some insurance, the Cowboys are “attempting to trade for” Chuma Edoga of the Jets (Twitter link via Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson).
Edoga was a third-round pick of the Jets in 2019. He started all eight of his appearances as a rookie, occupying the right tackle spot. He struggled in both the pass and run game, however, leading to a PFF grade of just 49.5. The following season, the USC alum was rated much better with respect to run blocking, but still failed to live up to his draft stock and expectations.
With veteran Morgan Moses being signed during free agency last offseason, Edoga’s hold on a roster spot was brought into question. With Moses and George Fant starting full-time at tackle, the 25-year-old was limited to just 99 snaps in 2021. That led to other moves being made by the team which further threatened his New York future.
The Jets selected Max Mitchell in the fourth round of this year’s draft, in addition to retaining Conor McDermott. Their presence left Edoga once again being named a candidate to finish his rookie contract elsewhere. Indeed, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini tweets, the 6-foot-3, 308-pounder was “on borrowed time.” A move of this kind being completed would point to Mitchell being promoted to the swing tackle role.
For Dallas, that particular designation currently belongs to 2021 fourth-rounder Josh Ball. His name was included among the Cowboys’ internal options to replace Tyron Smith on the blindside, as he will be sidelined until December at the earliest. Edoga could at least compete with Ball as well as rookies Tyler Smith and Matt Waletzko for playing time as a stop-gap option.
In the wake of the Smith injury, Dallas was, to no surprise, named a candidate to be active on the free agent market in search of replacements. A trade was, on the other hand, reported last week to be an avenue the team was not exploring. Given Edoga’s cap hit of just $1.2M, the Cowboys would still have plenty of space to accommodate another, more substantial addition if they were to deem it necessary. If a deal for Edoga goes through, though, he could have the opportunity to generate a better free agent market for himself given the change of scenery.
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