OXNARD, Calif. — There's a whole lot of beef heading toward the defensive line of the Dallas Cowboys ahead of their preseason matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Within less than 24 hours of concluding their second scrimmage against the Los Angeles Rams, they're finalizing a trade for defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, but there's more, also expected to sign Carl Lawson.
Lawson was included in a workout group — following the loss of Sam Williams to a season-ending torn ACL — that also featured Shaka Toney and Al-Quadin Muhammad, the latter two signing at the time. Toney was waived/injured on Wednesday, however, clearing a path for Lawson to make his way to Oxnard.
For Phillips, it's a trip from one NFC East to one of its direct rivals, as he departs the Giants for the Cowboys in a trade package that also sends a sixth-round pick (2026) to New York in exchange for a seventh-round pick (2026).
It's the latest round of defensive moves that include a trade that generated a cornerback swap in sending Nahshon Wright to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Andrew Booth, and adding Nick Vigil and Darius Harris to the linebackers' corps just last week.
To make room on the roster for the latest additions, the Cowboys will waive Carl Davis and, once the trade for Phillips is finalized, they will need to make a second corresponding roster move that has not yet been determined.
A former second-round pick in 2017, Lawson hit the ground running at defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals en route to earning honors on the PFWA All-Rookie Team for producing 8.5 sacks in his first year as a pro.
A former First-Team All-American and former All-SEC talent at Auburn, he'd climb back from a torn ACL in 2018 and ultimately sign with the New York Jets in 2021, where he'd remain until this past season — producing seven sacks, 33 combined tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 17 starts.
Also a former second-round pick, albeit in 2015, Phillips joins the Cowboys having begun his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins as a standout at Oklahoma, also spending time with the Buffalo Bills (on two occasions) and the Arizona Cardinals before later signing with the Giants this offseason.
Standing at 6-foot-6, 341 lbs., he's a prototypically large human set to plop right into the battle for depth at nose tackle behind Mazi Smith, replacing Davis in that fight.
With only two preseason games remaining and final roster cutdowns speeding toward them, the Cowboys (and specifically defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer), continue to actively work toward perfecting his defense.
-------------------------------------
The Cowboys will host 2024 "Cowboys Night," presented by American Airlines, at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 27-28. For more details visit www.DallasCowboys.com/TrainingCamp.
