Breaking news: Cowboys close in to sign Lions’ most outstanding starting run-stuffer on a record fee.
We discuss the Dallas Cowboys’ potential trade for Detroit Lions starter run-stuffer D.J. Readers
The Dallas Cowboys are working to bolster their roster, with a particular focus on developing a defense that can halt the run.
Under several different coordinators, it has been taboo for a long. Perhaps this is because the front management has not prioritized defensive tackles when it comes to the “salary cap pie.”
That doesn’t always apply to the 3-tech guy, though, as Osa Odighizuwa, who Dallas re-signed via free agency, will lead the defensive line this summer.
But otherwise?
It’s a frenzied dash to find aid.
Dallas selected UCLA nose tackle Jay Toia and Tommy Akingbesote on Day 3 of this offseason’s draft. Both players are huge and will face Mazi Smith, a Dallas first-round pick a few seasons ago, at camp.
Mazi had little else save that NFL Draft background.
Thus…
Solomon Thomas, a senior newcomer who mostly functions as a 3-tech guy, is one of the many question marks that remain in this group aside from Odighizuwa.
The Cowboys, who Pro Football Focus ranked as the 30th-worst run-stopping defense last season, have every incentive to investigate more.
For this reason, we discuss the possibility of the Cowboys acquiring the Detroit Lions’ starting run-stuffer D.J. Reader in the Fish Report.
Dallas’ attempts to get aid have also been modeled after Reader, who is 31 and not in his latter stages of life. As a 15-game starter, he finished with 23 tackles, a career-high 3.0 sacks, and six quarterback hits, which is excellent for an interior lineman.
Even though Reader is a huge guy who weighs 335 pounds and is 6-3, there are reports that Detroit is moving on.
What then prevents Dallas from calling here? After all, Stephen Jones, the Cowboys’ COO, stated this week that the franchise isn’t “done” with roster-building.
That stupid “salary cap pie,” that is.
Reader’s $22 million deal is about to reach its second and last year. The 2025 breakdown? In essence, he is about $13 million.
To be honest, there is a very slim likelihood that Dallas will trade for him and pay that money.
If Detroit releases him?
We are now conversing.
So far this offseason, Jerry Jones’ Cowboys have made four moves. Therefore, Dallas is not sitting on its hands and there is no opposition to taking action.
Indeed, D.J. Reader could be the last component needed by a Dallas squad hoping to make it back to the postseason. However, that comes at a price, and Dallas does not consider $13 million to be “the right cost” for a run-stuffing nose guard.
