The Dallas Cowboys offense has thrived under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Quarterback Dak Prescott is playing some of the best football of his career, and the running game has excelled with Javonte Williams at the helm.
The Cowboys' defense, however, has been the opposite. New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has yet to figure things out, and while he deserves plenty of the blame for what's going on, some of his players have failed to execute as well. That's particularly the case with linebacker Jack Sanborn, who might be the biggest candidate to lose his job in Arlington.
Sanborn currently ranks 95th out of 137 linebackers with a 56.3 Pro Football Focus grade. He's been a liability against the run and even worse in pass coverage. Although it doesn't appear that his woes will end any time soon, the Cowboys can rest easy now that the perfect replacement option is seemingly available.
Cowboys Must Trade for Browns LB Devin Bush to Replace Jack Sanborn
The Cleveland Browns are active and making moves, trading away cornerback Greg Newsome and quarterback Joe Flacco this week. Assuming that the fire sale will continue, the Cowboys should pounce on this opportunity to replace Sanborn with fellow LB Devin Bush.
Despite being up in age, Bush has played quite well in Jim Schwartz's defense this season. Through five games, he's up to 36 tackles, one forced fumble, and one sack. He has an 84.0 PFF grade, too, which is the eighth-highest among linebackers this season.
On top of that, Bush is also versatile, having played snaps on the outside and in the slot this season. Considering how much Sanborn has let the Cowboys down in the box, a fresh face could be what's needed to start a turnaround.
As good as Bush has been, the Browns could benefit more from adding a draft pick, especially considering that he's on a one-year deal and might not return next season. The Browns could send him and a late-round pick for something like a fifth-round selection, and the Cowboys could easily absorb his $3.125 million salary.
Sanborn's struggles have been too glaring to look the other way, and he needs to be benched. He's clearly one of Eberflus' guys, as he used to play for him in the Chicago Bears, but he hasn't lived up to the hype as a potential bargain signing.
The Cowboys don't seem to trust youngsters Marist Liufau and Shemar James, and Kenneth Murray has failed to play up to expectations since he entered the league as a first-round selection. Simply put, the Cowboys might need to look somewhere else to find a solution to their woes.
At 1-4, the Browns are clearly trending towards selling territory, and general manager Andrew Berry has already shown that the team is open for business, making three in-season trades in just five weeks. The Cowboys' offense is good enough to make the playoffs and go toe-to-toe against anybody, but unless they fix their defense, this will be yet another disappointing season in Arlington.
That's why Jerry Jones needs to hop on the phone to call Berry about a potential Bush trade before the opportunity disappears.