Dallas Cowboys: It’s time to trade for a legitimate CB1

In the wake of DeMarcus Lawrence’s terrible injury and Randy Gregory’s RESERVE/COVID IR designation, it’s easy to see the defensive line as the primary concern on the Dallas Cowboys defense.

But in reality the losses on the line is just temporary and the needs at cornerback have been, and will continue to be, an issue. The primary weakness of this defense has not changed since last season, since training camp, or since week 1. The weakness is at cornerback.

The Dallas Cowboys have a  glaring weakness in their secondary and need to trade for a CB1A immediately.

As I predicted, the Dallas Cowboys played above expectations and lost a closely contested battle against Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even in defeat, the Cowboys proved the doubters wrong to some degree as the NFL recorded its highest rated TNF (Thursday Night Football) game ever.

If not for Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein missing three crucial field goals, the Cowboys would have accomplished one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. Since it’s easy to point the blame on Zuerlein’s lackluster accuracy, another ailment needs to be addressed immediately. To fix that need, the Cowboys should consider trading for a legitimate CB1A.

After watching cornerback Anthony Brown get burnt like toast by wide receiver Antonio Brown , it is beyond clear that Brown the weakest link in the Cowboys secondary, if a change isn’t made this secondary will give up a bunch of touchdowns this year.

The Dallas Cowboys knew this would happen. That’s why they were focused on CB in round one and that’s why they scrambled when both worthy CBs went off the board before them.

Wisely, they still prioritized defense first with eight of their draft picks going to defensive players. Drafting corners Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, and safety Israel Mukuamu were needed because Dallas lost some of their defensive backs to free agency.

I’m not suggesting Dallas lose their minds and make Gilmore the highest paid corner or anything, but Gilmore makes Dallas’ secondary significantly better and one of the top contenders in the NFC.

Those players are going to be good one day, but as of right now, they’re not going to be the game-changing defensive backs this defense so desperately requires in 2021. That’s why Dallas failed miserably in free agency by not signing a veteran corner.

Before his legal issues arose, Pro Bowl corner Richard Sherman should have been a day one target for Dallas to upgrade their secondary. First and foremost, Sherman can still play at an optimum level, he played under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn at Seattle as a center piece of the Legion of Boom, and he would serve as a mentor to the youngsters Joseph, Wright, and Mukuamu.

Dallas needs to look for trading partners that are willing to trade a good corner, normally a team that isn’t winning and won’t be winning anytime soon. That will take time. So before Jerry Jones and Stephen take that approach, they need to reach out to the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and see what it will take to acquire All Pro corner Stephon Gilmore.

Although Gilmore is currently on the Patriots PUP list (physically unable to perform), the Jones’s need to offer Belichick a third rounder for Gilmore’s services. So what if Gilmore turns 31 on September 19th. When healthy, Gilmore is far better than any corner on Dallas’ roster, bar none, and Gilmore hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

For any doubters out there, Gilmore is a four-time Pro Bowler and won the elusive Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. That was two short years ago and it speaks volumes about Gilmore’s defensive prowess because it’s rare for corners to win DPOY awards.

And if a third rounder won’t work, just up the ante a little to seal the deal. It’s no secret that Belichick will trade one of his elite players as they age, so why not trade for Gilmore and offer him a rewarding contract extension to sweeten the process.

side note: I wrote an article explaining the need for a trade

We all know teams can manipulate the salary cap to sign a player they covet. I’m not suggesting Dallas lose their minds and make Gilmore the highest paid corner or anything, but Gilmore makes Dallas’ secondary significantly better and one of the top contenders in the NFC.

With Gilmore, Dallas becomes a believable Super Bowl contender. Without him or any or decent corner, Dallas will have to depend on Dak Prescott winning shootouts! We all know how that story ends.

So the Dallas Cowboys defense played better than expected against the Buccs and forced four turnovers-definitely a positive for the defense moving forward. But trading for Gilmore is worth it because it’s better than watching Brown get roasted like a rotisserie chicken on any given Sunday! BOOM!