NFC Rival Pulls Off RB Trade While Cowboys Asleep at the Wheel

The undefeated Minnesota Vikings added a running back on Tuesday, which the Cowboys could've used.
Los Angeles Chargers v Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Chargers v Dallas Cowboys / Sam Hodde/GettyImages
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The Dallas Cowboys have a bye in Week 7 after getting dismantled 47-9 at home by the Detroit Lions in Week 6. The Cowboys have a record of 3-3, which isn’t horrible, given the state of the running game and the injuries on defense.

That said, the Cowboys have a chance to remedy the rushing attack at the trade deadline, but all indications are they won’t make a move. Therefore, other teams will take advantage and we saw that happen on Tuesday night.

The Minnesota Vikings, the only undefeated team in the NFC at 5-0, made a trade to bolster their running back room and didn’t have to give up much, which should infuriate Dallas fans.

On Tuesday night, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that the Houston Texans traded veteran running back Cam Akers and a 2026 conditional seventh-round pick to Minnesota for a 2026 conditional sixth-round pick.

It made no sense why Dallas didn’t inquire about Akers’ availability, especially since they are ranked dead last in rushing (77.2 yards per game).

In five games this season, the 25-year-old Akers only has 147 yards and a touchdown on 40 carries (3.7 yards per game), which isn’t earth-shattering. However, Akers has been better than Ezekiel Elliott, who has 115 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries (3.0 YPC) this season.

A running back tandem of Akers and Rico Dowdle sounds much better than Elliott and Dowdle, which has been a non-factor this season. 

The Cowboys can’t stay asleep at the wheel, especially if they want to compete in the NFC East and make the playoffs. But that would also require Dallas to admit their fault in their handling of the RB room this offseason, which is something owner Jerry Jones won’t do.

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