In somewhat of a surprising move ahead of the NFL trade deadline, the Las Vegas Raiders have traded defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to the Dallas Cowboys, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.
Looking to shore up the their run defense, the Dallas Cowboys acquired defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2023 sixth-round pick on Tuesday, according to multiple sources.
The Raiders will receive a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft from the Cowboys, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The #Cowboys are sending a 2023 sixth-round pick to Las Vegas for Johnathan Hankins, per source. https://t.co/kcEnHwHxG6
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2022
Hankins had been with the Raiders for the past five seasons after spending time with the New York Giants to start his NFL career. He’s racked up 14.5 sacks and 366 tackles in that time and may become a valuable asset for the Cowboys as they try to upgrade their run defense, which is currently 20th in the league.
As for the Raiders, this move could be an indication that the team is looking further down the road as opposed to competing this season. Even though Hankins isn’t a game-changer or a huge loss for Las Vegas, Josh McDaniels and company may think this season could be somewhat of a lost cause after starting the year with a record of 2-4.
However, this trade may also be simply jumping at an opportunity that presented itself. The Raiders front office is almost certainly disappointed with the way things have gone thus far but is doing its due diligence to see that the team can improve in the years to come while also being focused on the 2022 campaign.
With the NFL trade deadline being November 1, it’ll be interesting to see if there are more moves to come from the Silver and Black.
