NFL insider: Dallas Cowboys trade for Las Vegas Raiders DT Johnathan Hankins

The Dallas Cowboys have reportedly entered into a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, sending undisclosed draft picks to the AFC West squad in exchange for defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. Hankins, a 10th-year veteran, has played in five games for the Raiders this season.

The initial report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport did not include the Raiders’ compensation but ESPN’s Tom Pelissero revealed that the Cowboys exchanged a 2023 sixth-round pick for Hankins and a 2024 seventh-round pick.

Dallas’s move comes just two days after team owner Jerry Jones said he didn’t “expect” a trade before the NFL’s deadline. However, he said he would make an exchange if it was for a player of the “magnitude” of a Deion Sanders-type.

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Hankins, 6-foot-3, 340-pounds, was a second-round draft pick out of Ohio State in the 2013 NFL Draft. He went to the New York Giants where he contributed for four seasons, including a seven-sack year in 2014. Since his time with the Giants, Hankins has played for Indianapolis and for Oakland, prior to the organization moving to Las Vegas.

Last season, playing in 14 games, Hankins accrued 38 tackles. He was on a one-year, $1,325,000 contract for this season with the Raiders.

The Cowboys are looking to improve in whatever ways they can ahead of Week 8. Their impressive 5-2 record this season, despite early injury setbacks, may not be good enough to earn an NFC East title. With Philadelphia on a bye week and the New York Giants winning again on Sunday, Dallas is sitting at third place in the division with the fourth-best record in the conference.

Cowboys shore up secondary with practice squad signing

After cornerback Jourdan Lewis suffered a season-ending injury on Sunday during the Cowboys’ 24-6 win over the Detroit Lions, Dallas is reportedly signing free-agent corner Kendall Sheffield. Sheffield would join the practice squad, according to Ian Rapoport, but he could potentially help shore up the secondary.

The former Ohio State Buckeye went to the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Sheffield played for current Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn before going off of waivers to the Houston Texans this offseason.

As a Falcon, Sheffield played in 38 games with 20 starts and recorded 97 tackles (69 solo), six passes defensed and one forced fumble.

In two seasons with the Buckeyes after signing out of Blinn C.C., he earned 2018 All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. He had a team-high 10 passes defensed and finished with 34 tackles (26 solo), two tackles for loss, two interceptions and one forced fumble in 14 starts at cornerback.