Dallas Cowboys: Should the team trade Orlando Scandrick?

The Dallas Cowboys will have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, especially what to do with veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick.

Dallas Cowboys will likely have a logjam at the cornerback position in 2018 as the team continues to rebuild their secondary. This could mean that some players currently on the Cowboys roster are either traded or released.

This could be because of sheer numbers at a specific position but more likely it will be because of the salary cap. A possible outcome of such cap casualties could have us finally see the departure of Orlando Scandrick.

Scandrick has been the Dallas Cowboys top veteran cornerback for a very long time. The former fifth-round pick of 2008 has made his mark on this secondary and has proven to be a very capable slot corner when healthy.

Scandrick’s level of play has declined over the last three seasons forcing the Cowboys to start rebuilding the secondary. His salary is not some inflated nightmare like most cornerbacks at the end of their careers either, he will probably cost a team $3 million or less. So why don’t the Cowboys just keep him?

Well, that may very well happen but we are talking about a franchise with several players on a ticking clock. Winning a Super Bowl is a higher priority now than it was when Tony Romo was the signal caller.

Players like Jason Witten and Sean Lee want to win now as they do not know how much football they have left. Getting to the Super Bowl before the Cowboys have to make a decision on Dak Prescott’s contract will also be important. That is why every contract matters and every roster move is magnified.

Scandrick would only make sense for a handful of teams in the NFL and most likely if he were to be moved, it would be the AFC. That being said the most likely landing spots would be places like Oakland, Tampa Bay, New England, Houston, Kansas City, and Los Angeles (Rams).

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All of those teams need help at the cornerback position, have looked to veterans at the position before to help lead the secondary, and are likely losing a cornerback to free agency. What would Scandrick cost? 

Most likely a mid-round pick would get the job done as the Dallas Cowboys would also create some cap space while trading the veteran. It is not tough for me to see a cornerback-needy team looking to fortify their secondary by adding someone like Scandrick. 

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The New England Patriots will likely lose Malcolm Butler, the Texans can only rely on the aging Jonathan Joseph for so long, Kansas City will see some of their corners head to free agency, Seattle could be looking to rebuild their secondary entirely, and the Oakland Raiders just need a lot of help at the position.

If the Dallas Cowboys could get a young draft prospect and create some cap room it is hard to argue with that logic. Scandrick’s value should not be inflated but he should draw enough interest around the league.