Cowboys urged to trade for Panthers’ 9-year veteran: ‘Great trade target’

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

The Dallas Cowboys may want to make another trade before the October 31 deadline.

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

Although team owner Jerry Jones has been vocal about the team not entering into trade talks Knox argues that Hill can add valuable depth to the Cowboys’ defensive backfield following Trevon Diggs’ early-season injury.

“The Cowboys’ defense was solid, even after losing cornerback Trevon Diggs to a season-ending ACL tear,” Knox writes. “Dallas is allowing an average of just 5.7 yards per pass attempt this season. But is the Cowboys defense capable of turning away a good cornerback? Overwhelming losses to the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers suggest otherwise.”

“Why Troy Hill would be a valuable CB for Cowboys”

The 32-year-old veteran cornerback has played for a number of teams over his nine-year career, with 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 for the Panthers, he plays a valuable role on defense. appears in 44% of defensive snaps this season. He has seen a large portion of his snaps as a nickel cornerback, appears in 88 snaps as a slot corner.

To top it off, Hill has made 55 of his 103 career appearances. He offers versatility as he can play on both the outside and the inside.

The Cowboys’ pass defense lacks depth after their top three cornerbacks

The Cowboys’ pass defense was actually a solid unit after Diggs’ injury during a practice after Week 2. That’s them Only 177 yards are allowed per game this season, which ranks third in the NFL. However, they have slowed down over the last three games, allowing 223.3 passes per game, which ranks them 18th in the NFL. This corresponds to the tough duels against teams like the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers in recent weeks.

Dallas’ current top three cornerbacks are Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland – who moved them over from the nickel position – on the outside and veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis at the nickel position. While the Cowboys’ current cornerback trio is solid, the unit is just 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 experienced free agents like Xavier Rhodes and Mackensie Alexander before the playoffs because they lacked depth at the position.

Dallas’ top three cornerbacks include Nahshon Wright – who has only appeared in one game this season and has three career starts – and Noah Igbinoghene, who has spent most of his playing time on special teams this season, appears on 63 special teams snaps compared to just 25 defensive snaps.

Acquiring Hill would provide security and insurance for a Cowboys team looking to make a strong playoff appearance. Considering Dallas will face pass-heavy teams like the Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles and Jared Goff-led Detroit Lions in the playoffs, depth at cornerback is a must.

The Cowboys may not be able 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 make a valuable move for depth purposes by acquiring one Players like Hill.

DJ Siddiqi covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before joining Heavy, he covered the NFL and NBA for Forbes, ClutchPoints, CBS Sports, 24/7 Sports and Bleacher Report. More about DJ Siddiqi