If you ask the Dallas Cowboys about their team needs, it won’t take long for them to mention the nickel position.

Since January, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lamented his decision to let Jourdan Lewis walk in free agency in 2025. And most recently, even after the Cowboys signed Cobie Durant at cornerback, head coach Brian Schottenheimer described nickel as a need and added he wanted someone that allowed him to keep DaRon Bland at outside cornerback.

Well, the perfect chance for them to add a battle-tested NFL veteran at nickel just emerged. And it would be a relatively cheap addition.

Cowboys should consider trading for Colts CB Kenny Moore II

The Colts and nine-year veteran cornerback Kenny Moore II mutually agreed to seek a trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Moore II is entering a contract year and is set to earn $10 million in 2026. To make him an even more enticing trade target, his deal includes three void years that could be used by an acquiring team to lower his cap hit through a restructure.

The Colts cornerback has been a standout slot cornerback for many years now. In the last three years, he’s accumulated seven interceptions and 19 pass deflections. He’s got one Pro Bowl under his belt but had the AP adopted the nickel position as a separate category before, he would probably have at least one All-Pro honor.

And yet, factoring in his age (will be 31 when the season starts) and his contract situation, I wouldn’t expect Indy to ask for more than a Day 3 pick.

So why trade him at all?

Though Moore II wouldn’t command a lot in the trade market, I reached out to our own Destin Adams from A to Z Sports Indianapolis for more insight on why the Colts are considering moving him.

“When healthy, Kenny Moore II is one of the best slots in the league,” Adams says. “He is also one of the most respected players in the locker room and in the community. In his free time, he began helping out at a local school, in the classroom where he was seen as basically an additional teacher to those kids.”

“This is as amicable a separation as you’ll see in the NFL,” he adds. “The Colts aren’t moving on from him because he isn’t good anymore or because of character issues. They simply fell in love with rookie Justin Walley last year. He was in line to be a day one starter before he tore his ACL in training camp. The mid-season trade for Sauce Gardner takes that spot away, though, so they are opening up a new one.

“They would have let him walk after his contract was up next offseason to do this same thing, so now they get a bit of a head start and let Moore try to land a new home a year early.”

Timing for a potential Cowboys trade

With the Cowboys fully focused on the draft, I wonder if Moore can become an option during or even after it. In the first round, the Cowboys will likely consider nickel targets such as Clemson CB Avieon Terrell.

If they don’t come out of the early portion of the draft with a solution at nickel, using one of their many Day 3 picks (including three fifth-rounders) to acquire Moore II could be the way to go.