Cowboys trade Pro Bowl DE Everson Griffen to Lions

Four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Everson Griffen did not stay on the trade block for long. 

Less than 24 hours after stories surfaced that the Dallas Cowboys had informed teams that the 32-year-old playing on a one-year contract was available, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys are sending Griffen to the Detroit Lions for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network added that protocols for completing the season amid the coronavirus pandemic will prevent Griffen from playing for Detroit in this Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Detroit faces the Minnesota Vikings, Griffen's team from 2010-2019, on Nov. 8. 

Griffen joined the Cowboys in August and tallied 2.5 sacks, 20 tackles, and a forced fumble over the first seven games of the season. Dallas dropped five of those seven contests, however, and also lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a gruesome ankle injury during a win over the New York Giants on Oct. 11. 

Detroit, meanwhile, is 3-3 and within two games of the 5-1 Green Bay Packers in the NFC North race. The Chicago Bears are 5-2, but their offense has struggled with consistency this fall.