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Cowboys deal pass rusher Everson Griffen to Lions for conditional pick

Everson Griffen didn’t last long with the Dallas Cowboys. The team traded the defensive end to the Detroit Lions on Tuesday in exchange for a conditional draft pick that could be as high as a fifth-rounder, the Cowboys announced.

Griffen, 32, signed with the Cowboys in August after spending 10 seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. Griffen made four Pro Bowls in Minnesota, where he also racked up 74.5 sacks and 86 tackles for loss.

In seven games with the Cowboys, Griffen has 2.5 sacks.

Cowboys defense is awful in 2020

The move comes as a surprise considering Griffen signed a one-year, $6 million contract with Dallas two months ago.

With the Cowboys struggling at 2-5, the team shipped out half of Griffen’s contract. Dallas will pay him $3 million in 2020.

While Griffen hasn’t been a big part of the problem, it doesn’t help that the Cowboys’ defense has been abysmal this season. The team has given up the most rushing yards in the NFL and have allowed a 16-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio against passers. The Cowboys’ defense has allowed over 30 points in five of seven games this season.

Under the NFL’s COVID-19 policy, Griffen will be ineligible to play in the Lions’ Week 8 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Assuming Griffen passes all his tests, he’ll make his Lions debut against his former team — the Vikings — in Week 9.

Everson Griffen makes a face during a game.
The Dallas Cowboys reportedly traded defensive end Everson Griffen to the Detroit Lions on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

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