The Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets have a combined two wins between them through the first six weeks of the NFL season. That is not great. Because of how badly both organizations are struggling, change feels inevitable.
Dak Prescott is out for the rest of the year due to a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that required surgery. In his absence, backup Andy Dalton led the Cowboys to an embarrassing 38-10 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. He went 34 of 54 for 266 yards and was picked off twice. Clearly he is not the answer.
One possible solution that could fix everyone’s problems? According to Chase Stuart of Football Perspective, it would be the Cowboys making a trade for New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. Dallas would receive an immediate upgrade over Dalton, and New York would be able to get the sort of return on their draft investment that will likely not be available to them in the future.
“I expect the Darnold to Dallas rumors to heat up this week,” he tweeted.
“Cowboys are still favorites to win the division and Jerry [Jones] isn’t going to just sit around. Jets are all in on the tank, and Darnold’s market value is higher now than in March. A 2nd should do the trick.”
I expect the Darnold to Dallas rumors to heat up this week. Cowboys are still favorites to win the division and Jerry isn’t going to just sit around. Jets are all in on the tank, and Darnold’s market value is higher now than in March.
A 2nd should do the trick.
— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) October 20, 2020
During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday morning, Jones made the case that his Cowboys are actually built very well. He thinks the pieces are there for a successful run, and that they just haven’t gelled in the way they need to.
“What I do feel good about with the entire group is our ability,” he said.
Derrick Rose’s wife reacts to the Lakers trade talk. https://t.co/earfV3ebGE
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 20, 2020
“We do have the ability and we have the talent to make adjustments with the personnel we have. We just haven’t done it. We will not have success until we take our personnel we got today and put it out there not giving ourselves a big hole to dig out of.”
If Jones truly believes that his team is talent-laden, but simply needs a better replacement for Prescott, then a deal of this sort makes a ton of sense. It goes without saying that the NFC East is still very winnable, so long as the Cowboys get their act together in a hurry.
What all this really comes down to is the fact that both Dallas and New York need to make some changes. The latter group is completely inept offensively, as evidenced by the fact that every other team in the NFL has run at least 10 plays at the goal line, whereas they have only run two. The former is putting too much pressure on running back Ezekiel Elliot, as has been made clear by his four lost fumbles over the past six games.
This conversation took a weird turn. https://t.co/tiGtaKnSvy
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 20, 2020
The Jets need to start their rebuild, and the Cowboys need to add an offensive weapon to make a run at the divisional title. On paper, at least, a trade centering around Darnold would check both of those boxes.
Obviously, a transaction of this nature is extremely complex to put together and has a lot of moving parts. It may not happen. But it certainly makes a lot of sense for all parties involved.
Will this deal ultimately go down? It remains to be seen. Should it? Probably.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
