5 Realistic Cowboys Trade Targets at the Deadline

The Dallas Cowboys are 4-2 and just spent their Week 7 bye looking ahead to the rest of the season. They also surely saw the Philadelphia Eagles win convincingly over the Miami Dolphins to improve to 5-1.

Despite being first in the NFC East, the Eagles weren't content and made a move on Monday to add Kevin Byard in a trade with the Tennessee Titans. If Dallas is serious about keeping pace with them, they need to be as aggressive, or more so, than the Eagles.

With that being the case, here are five trades they should pursue as they look to remain contenders in the NFC.

Jordan Hicks, Linebacker, Minnesota Vikings

Losing Leighton Vander Esch to a neck injury was a major blow to this Dallas defense. LVE isn't the flashiest player but he's been one of the team's more consistent tacklers over the past two seasons. As the middle linebacker, he's also huge when it comes to maintaining communication on that side of the ball.

In an effort to replace him, Dallas signed Rashaan Evans who spent this past season with the Atlanta Falcons and had 159 tackles. He has yet to debut with Dallas but could be a solid replacement.

However, they could also look to add Jordan Hicks who is another stellar linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings. Hicks spent time with the Cardinals and Eagles before heading to Minnesota, so the Cowboys know him well. He could also be on the move with the Vikings struggling this year.

Some might say it's more than they need but considering the injuries they've had this year, that's a good problem to have.

Zach Ertz, Tight End, Arizona Cardinals

With Dalton Schultz heading to the Houston Texans in free agency, the Cowboys decided to go with youth at the position. They've started second-year player Jake Ferguson who has been good, but not great. After six games, Ferguson has 21 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown.

Behind him is rookie Luke Schoonmaker. The second-round pick has just one catch thus far, although that did go for a touchdown. Even so, it's safe to say they would like more at the position and that could lead to them exploring the trade market.

One player they could target is Zach Ertz of the Arizona Cardinals, and apparently, they've already kicked the tires on the veteran.

Ertz is a three-time Pro Bowler in his 11th NFL season. He started out with the Philadelphia Eagles and had 579 receptions for 6,267 yards and eight touchdowns. When Dallas Goedert took over and needed to get paid, Ertz was then traded to Arizona and has 130 receptions for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns in 28 games.

The Cardinals have been trying to get Trey McBride going as of late and with just one win under their belt, it's time to think about a youth movement. In the end, this is a trade that could help all parties.

Jalen Mills, CB, New England Patriots

Dallas had one of the top defensive backfields when they took the field in Week 1 with Stephon Gilmore joining Trevon Diggs. In addition to those two on the boundaries, they had DaRon Bland playing the slot corner.

There's also a trio of safeties with Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse, and Donovan Wilson all doing their part. They even had so much talent at safety that Dan Quinn moved Markquese Bell to linebacker, where he's been thriving.

Unfortunately, the secondary wound up taking a hit when Diggs was lost for the season due to a torn ACL suffered in practice. Jourdan Lewis stepped in and became the No. 3 guy while Bland moved to the outside but they haven't been the same. That's why targeting a defensive back makes a lot of sense.

One player who could be available is Jalen Mills, currently on the New England Patriots. Mills signed a one-year deal in the offseason, making him a free agent at the end of the year. With New England sitting at 2-5, they might be willing to move on and look for future assets in return.

One reason Mills makes sense is his versatility. As mentioned previously, Quinn has no problem moving his defenders around and Mills has played both safety and cornerback throughout his career.

Being able to move him around based on matchups while also providing someone who can cover deep from the free safety spot is a weapon he would surely love to add.

Courtland Sutton, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos

Another trade Dallas made this offseason was to add Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans. Cooks was supposed to fill the major void left when the Cowboys foolishly traded away Amari Cooper ahead of the 2022 campaign and then gave Michael Gallup a long-term deal coming off a torn ACL.

Gallup struggled in 2022 and has been arguably worse in 2023 with just 18 receptions for 204 yards and no touchdowns. He's also had several huge drops. As for Cooks, he had his best outing in Week 6 but still has just 13 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown.

The lack of production from their No. 2 and No. 3 wideouts has been a huge issue and while CeeDee Lamb has been great, he can't do it alone. That's why the Cowboys need to see if the Denver Broncos are ready to ship off Courtland Sutton in a potential fire sale.

Denver has been a mess under Sean Payton and there have been rumors that both Sutton and Jerry Jeudy are on the market. Jeudy was once a promising player but as of late, it seems he's someone that should be avoided.

Sutton, however, has what the Dallas offense needs. He offers size on the outside at 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds and has had plenty of production in his career. This season, he's off to a hot start despite the struggles Denver has had with 31 receptions for 351 yards and five touchdowns.

Failing to address the wide receiver position could come back to haunt the Cowboys but if they do go out and add Sutton, it would finally give Dak Prescott the weapons he needs to challenge Philly down the road.

Derrick Henry, Running Back, Tennessee Titans

Another team that's off to a rough start and could be ready to ship off anyone of value is the Tennessee Titans. After years of over-performing, Mike Vrabel's unit is just 2-4 and it hasn't been fun for them.

Tennessee has even started to make deals, trading away an All-Pro safety in Kevin Byard. While that move helps the Eagles, the Cowboys should give them a call as well and see what it would take to land Derrick Henry.

The former Alabama superstar has been a monster in the NFL with 8,760 yards and 81 touchdowns on the ground and another 1,361 yards on 138 receptions with three scores as a receiver. And despite being 29, he's still going strong with 425 yards this year while averaging 4.3 yards per attempt.

Dallas does have a decent ground game led by Tony Pollard who has 370 yards this year. However, he's averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per rush and could benefit from the 247-pound Henry tiring defenses out. As if that wasn't enough of a reason to make the move, Henry could also single-handedly solve their frustrating red zone problems.

This move might sound like a pipe dream at first but there's a legitimate shot it could happen, as pointed out by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. He points out that they have the fifth-most cap space in the NFL right now and that would allow them to take on the remainder of Henry's contract.

It would be a huge move but as their rivals have shown, that's what it takes to get to the title game. Does Dallas finally make a move with this in mind? Or will they continue to hope things bounce in their favor with the roster they have?

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