FRISCO, Texas — The NFL trade deadline has come and gone as the 3 p.m. CT cutoff marks the conclusion of a busy week leading up to Tuesday afternoon including multiple deals in the eleventh hour.
The Dallas Cowboys remained quiet in the trade market after owner and general manager Jerry Jones reiterated throughout the month of October that he felt confident in the team's current roster.
"I like where we are with our personnel today," Jones said on Oct. 24. "I'm not thinking, in any way, that we need to upgrade our roster."
One week later, Jones' notion proved to be true, but that didn't stop the rest of the league from staying active in the trade market. Multiple impact trades went down on the final day with direct implications to the Cowboys' outlook in 2023. Let's take a look at the notable moves.
Chase Young to 49ers/Montez Sweat to Bears: The Washington Commanders unloaded a pair of young pass rushers in exchange for draft capital after trading former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers and Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears.
While this does allow Dallas to miss seeing both defensive linemen twice this season against Washington, Young to the 49ers could help play a big part in San Francisco's playoff success and a potential playoff matchup in January against the Cowboys.
With the addition of Young, San Francisco adds to a loaded defensive line group that already includes Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead.
Kevin Byard to Eagles: Another NFC contender bolstered its roster ahead of the deadline as the Philadelphia Eagles traded for two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard on Oct. 24 to add to its eighth-ranked total defense.
Byard's experience and talent joins a secondary in need of both of those things on the backend to combine with a loaded defensive front that includes Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
The Cowboys will see Byard for the first of two games this season on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Philadelphia for a big divisional clash against the Eagles. The two will reunite on Dec. 10 in Arlington at AT&T Stadium.
Leonard Williams to Seahawks: The New York Giants unloaded one of the NFL's largest cap hits on Monday afternoon when they traded defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks. While his talent will be missed in the interior of the Giants' defensive line, they open up cap room to be aggressive in the offseason.
For the Cowboys, they will still see Williams for a second time in 2023 when the Seahawks travel to AT&T Stadium on Nov. 30 in what is shaping up to be an important matchup towards determining NFC playoff positioning.
Rasul Douglas to Bills: The final trade of the 2023 season before the deadline saw the Green Bay Packers send seven-year veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills. After losing All-Pro cornerback Tre'Davious White to a torn achilles earlier in the season, the Bills add more help to its boundary coverage.
Even though the impact on the Cowboys is minimal, they will see Douglas on Dec. 17 when they travel to Buffalo in a highly-anticipated interconference matchup.
