FRISCO — Plenty headlines, rumors and other developments hit the news cycle in the fallout of last week's NFL Scouting Combine. But none bigger surfaced than the Washington Commanders' trade for Deebo Samuel.
The Commanders nabbed a solid No. 2 receiving option to pair with Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin in Washington's high octane offense. The team gave up a fifth-round pick in the process.
Both sides get a win out of the move. Washington has sought after another strong wide receiver to bolster their passing attack. Even at a slight decline, Samuel's ability and versatility adds a new element to Kliff Kingsbury's offense.
On the San Francisco 49ers side, they free up some expected cap space to open their options for the offseason. That may mean an extension for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Samuel requested a trade from the team in January and the Niners were willing to grant his wish.
It is certainly unpleasant when two enemies of the Dallas Cowboys do business with one another, especially when the deal benefits both parties. Furthermore, the deal frankly reminds Cowboys Nation of how they were taken for suckers on their own wide receiver trade this past season.
R.J. Ochoa was the unlucky individual whose social media post regarding that truth caught the attention of Cowboys' defensive star Micah Parsons.
"Washington picked up almost 22 million on Deebo contract this year! This legit doesn’t correlate at all!" Parsons replied on X.
Micah has his numbers right. But ... Much like Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen have done, Parsons chooses to miss one of the points here.
Now looking at the trade itself, it is certainly a blockbuster move and there is an angle for the Commanders to really improve with Samuel on their side. But Samuel has regressed in recent seasons and that cap hit is worth noting if he cannot produce.
The Commanders rank among the league leaders in cap space, so taking a slight gamble here is not that much of a risk. Back to the issue at hand...
The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo who hardly found a role on a weekly basis. That trade has resulted in a net loss for Dallas thus far while the Commanders gained a known star while giving up less.
The Commanders - at whatever price - just got better.
Parsons could end up being right about Samuel at the end of the road. As for now, the Cowboys are stuck watching and judging while two rivals made their situations better.
