Louis Riddick grades Dallas Cowboys trade deadline moves

The NFL trade deadline has now come and gone. Amid that, there was a scramble to solidify teams around the country. That included the Dallas Cowboys notably adding defensive lineman Quinnen Williams in a trade.

On Get Up following the trade deadline, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick shared that he gave the Cowboys a B+ grade for their trade deadline. That’s because they addressed a serious need within the team. At the same time, there are still issues there that need to be addressed.

“Look, I’m giving them a B+,” Louis Riddick said. “I’m giving them a B+ because you cannot be No. 32 in the NFL in terms of rushing first downs allowed, and then complain about it all season, every season, like we do, and then not do anything about it. They have.”

The defense, in general, has been a major issue for Dallas. The Cowboys are 31st in the NFL in yards allowed per game, giving up 397.4 yards. That includes 143 rushing yards allowed per game, which is 29th in the NFL. All of that has made Dallas the 31st-ranked scoring defense, giving up 30.8 points per game.

Williams should address those issues moving forward. The 27-year-old defensive tackle was an All-Pro selection in 2022 and is a three-time Pro Bowler. In eight games this season, he has 32 total tackles, seven tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, and three forced fumbles as a defensive tackle.

“Jeff alluded to this. You know this is a vernacular I like to use all the time,” Riddick said. “You build your defense down the middle, inside out. They are much stronger now. They still need more edge pass rush and they need to fix that terrible secondary, but this is a stepping-stone type of acquisition. It’s going to pay dividends down the road.”

It was a ransom that Jerry Jones and Dallas gave up for Quinnen Williams. A second round pick, a first round pick, and DT Mazi Smith are all heading back to the Jets. So, it wasn’t a cheap upgrade.

Notably, Quinnen Williams wasn’t the only trade that the Cowboys made. Dallas also added linebacker Logan Wilson from the Bengals. That was in exchange for a seventh round pick, and, while it fit Riddick’s ideal of building inside out, it was a much lower-profile move.

The Dallas Cowboys are currently 3-5-1 on the season, which is good for second in the NFC East but is rapidly falling behind the 6-2 Philadelphia Eagles. It’s clear that for Jerry Jones, going into their bye week and coming off back-to-back losses was the time to make these moves. Now, it’s a matter of whether or not they work out.