The Dallas Cowboys need to highly consider being sellers during Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Dallas Cowboys are broken. Over the past two months, we’ve watched as things have worsened with each new game providing more evidence that this team doesn’t have what it takes to be competitive. It’s a peculiar place for fans to be because we have grown accustomed to seeing them be one of the better teams in the league as long as their quarterback is healthy. You’d have to go back 20 years when the last time the Cowboys had a losing season with a healthy starting quarterback (2004, Vinny Testaverde), but here we are.
The problems in Dallas are abundant. Starting with health, the Cowboys have been hit hard with injuries. The defense has taken the brunt of it missing key players like Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and DaRon Bland. That doesn’t include extensive time missed for key rotational players like Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, and Caelen Carson.
The offense hasn’t endured anywhere close to the health problems as the defense, but they are anemic. Take your pick as to which issue is more glaring but between terrible play-calling, bad quarterback play, a substandard offensive line, and a talent-lacking running back room, the offense is a mess. And now you can add health to the list as Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb both suffered injuries on Sunday. It’s unclear as to the extent of those injuries, but they could be facing not having their three top offensive weapons when you also include the injured Brandin Cooks.
The Cowboys season, for all intents and purposes, is donezo. The carrots are cooked. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but there are too many things going against them to come out of a nose dive. As we saw recently, the issues aren’t something that could be corrected coming out of a bye week. It goes much deeper.
A couple of weeks ago, the mindset was what could the Cowboys do that could help their chances this season. Trade suggestions were all over the place with many focusing on adding help on offense like another wide receiver or a better running back. But now, things are much different. With more information we know this team has bigger problems and darker days are likely on the horizon. The best thing the team could do is be honest with themselves and start looking ahead.
Rather than being buyers during the trade deadline, the Cowboys should consider being sellers and acquiring some draft capital for next season. Before we talk about who they should ship off, let’s first talk about who isn’t an option.
No bad players
While it’s easy to pick players we don’t like, let’s be real. That’s not going to work. To get something, you have to give something and nobody is going to be interested in players who aren’t going to help them.
No heavily invested players
If the Cowboys have recently signed some bigger-name players to long-term deals, those guys are off the table. People love to throw Dak’s name around or Trevon Diggs or Terence Steele, but the Cowboys have a lot of money tied up to those players and would take a huge dead money hit if they traded them away. Contracts must be taken into account and players who have a lot of bonus money left on the books aren’t realistic options.
No elite talent at a position of need
Players like Micah Parsons and Tyler Smith would draw a lot of interest, but why would the Cowboys trade away players critical to their success for years to come? Young players who are only getting better are cornerstone players you want to keep. And sure, sometimes you have to give up something valuable to get something good in return, but moving away from one of these players would leave them with huge holes in the trenches. That’s not smart GM’ing.
The right candidate
If the Cowboys are to gain any meaningful draft capital, they’re going to have to give up something. The right player could be DaRon Bland. The team’s All-Pro cornerback is coming off a great season where he led the league with nine interceptions, five of which were returned for touchdowns. He has been out with a foot injury this year but is set to return real soon.
Bland’s stock is high and he will enter the final year of his rookie contract next season. It will be difficult for the Cowboys to find the financial resources needed to give him a second contract, especially after giving Prescott and Lamb new deals this offseason and the looming extensions that Parsons and Smith will receive. In brass tacks, he’s only likely to remain with the Cowboys for one more season, so why not get something in return?
There are contending teams out there who need cornerback help and who will overvalue Bland’s ability. The Cowboys have Diggs and the rookie Carson, so moving on from Bland doesn’t cripple them at cornerback. They could bring back Jourdan Lewis for cheap and have another draft to help strengthen the position, making Bland an asset they can live without.
Trading away a player like Bland isn’t fun to talk about, but if the Cowboys want to be smart, these tough decisions are necessary. And with the 2024 season in bad shape, looking ahead is the best option.