Cowboys Trade Haunts Team
Critics noted Dallas' Jones trade for an edge rusher who blew out his knee and is unlikely to return to 100%, while discussions continue about Trey Lance's trade from the 49ers amid his injury woes including a broken leg that ended his season. Jets fans are buzzing about a recent trade discussed on Go Sports Radio's "Johnnies Rotten" episode.
The Dallas Cowboys' edge rusher in question is Sam Williams, a 2022 second-round pick. He missed the entire 2024 season after tearing both his ACL and MCL in his left knee during a training camp practice. The injury occurred during a non-padded special teams drill before the first full-padded practice. Williams returned to the field in 2025, but his performance saw a downturn. In the 2025 season, he started five games, recording only one sack and 37 total tackles. This was a significant drop from his first two seasons where he tallied a combined 8.5 sacks in a reserve role. The Trey Lance trade represents a significant loss for the San Francisco 49ers. They originally traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins to move up and select Lance as the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After just two seasons, in which he played only eight games and suffered a season-ending ankle fracture, the 49ers traded Lance to the Cowboys. In return, San Francisco received only a fourth-round draft pick. Even after the trade, the 49ers carried a $5.54 million dead cap hit for Lance in 2024. The recent New York Jets trade involved sending defensive end Jermaine Johnson II to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. This move reunites Johnson with new Titans head coach Robert Saleh, who was with the Jets when they drafted Johnson in the first round in 2022. Johnson, a 2023 Pro Bowler, is coming off a season with three sacks after tearing his Achilles in 2024. He is due $13.41 million on his fifth-year option in 2026. Sweat, a 6-foot-4, 366-pound defensive tackle, was a second-round pick in 2024 and is expected to bolster the Jets' run defense.
