Tuesday’s third NFL trade will also be the third to involve an offensive tackle changing teams. Asim Richards is on the move.
Richards is being traded from the Cowboys to the Saints, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The move will end his run in Dallas, which began in 2023 when he joined the team as a fifth-round pick. Over his two years in the league, Richards totaled 21 appearances and made one start. Per Schefter, the Cowboys will receive a 2028 sixth-round pick in exchange for Richards and a seventh-rounder that same year.
Healthy depth along the offensive line has recently emerged as an issue for the Saints. As a result, it comes as little surprise they are among the teams using the period before this afternoon’s cutdown deadline to make a move up front. New Orleans is in need of backups behind Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga, so a swing tackle role could be in store for Richards.
The 24-year-old saw time as a guard during the preseason, so playing time along the interior could be possible as well. In any case, Richards will now turn his attention to carving out a second-team gig with the Saints instead of quite possibly being waived by the Cowboys later today. Dallas will generate $1.03MM in cap savings with this move, while New Orleans will take on the final two years of his rookie contract.
Dallas will move forward with Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele as starters at the tackle spots. The team’s depth chart beyond those two will become clearer over the coming days as the Cowboys’ practice squad takes shape. Today’s move ensures, though, that Richards will not be in the team’s plans for 2025.