For a team that has proclaimed itself to be ‘all in,’ the Dallas Cowboys sure haven’t acted like one. Numerous players left the Cowboys in free agency this spring . Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler Jr., among others departed Texas for hefty paydays elsewhere. While Dallas hasn’t done much to replace those players, there is still time to acquire replacements for those guys via trade. A couple of trade targets that come to mind for the Cowboys to round out their 2024 roster include Treylon Burks and Miles Sanders.
Treylon Burks, wide receiver
Treylon Burks’ NFL career has not gone the way many thought it would when he entered the league in 2022. The former Arkansas Razorback was a first-round pick by the Tennessee Titans, who they hoped would replace AJ Brown after they opted not to pay him a big extension.
It was a risky decision that could not have gone worse for the Titans. Burks played in 22 of a possible 32 games for Tennessee over these past two seasons. In those games, he’s accumulated a measly 84 receptions for 665 yards and only one touchdown. For comparison’s sake, AJ Brown put up racked up 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns last season alone.
To be fair to Burks, circumstances haven’t always treated him right. After two games in his rookie season where he put up 111 yards against the Green Bay Packers and 70 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Burks finally looked like he was turning a corner. That came to a screeching halt next week when a concussion on the first (and only) touchdown he’s scored in his career held him out for three weeks.
Another injury in his sophomore season forced him to miss a month of action. By then, he fell behind DeAndre Hopkins and others in the Titan’s pecking order. He’s become even less of a priority in Tennessee since with a new coaching staff in town. After the Titans signed Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in the offseason, there’s talk that Burks needs to contribute on special teams to even be active.
Tennessee would like to rejuvenate Burks’ career, but they don’t need him. He needs a fresh start. Former Razorback Jerry Jones could give him one with the Cowboys, who need another receiver on their roster. This pairing could help all parties.
Miles Sanders, running back
Another player who has had a rough go of it lately is Miles Sanders. It wasn’t that long ago when Sanders ran for a career-high 1,269 yards with the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, that happened just two years prior to this upcoming season.
Things took a dramatic turn for the worse with Sanders in 2023 however. He signed a four-year $25.4 million deal with the Carolina Panthers that included $13 million guaranteed. It’s great that he secured the bag, but his play was anything but. Sanders’ yards per carry average dipped from a career mark of five with Philadelphia to a ghastly 3.3 number with Carolina.
To be fair to Sanders, the Panthers’ offense last year was abominable. Bryce Young entered his rookie season with a below-average offensive line and no receivers that could get open. But Sanders didn’t help matters at all. Chuba Hubbard outplayed Sanders and was far and away the better running back.
Sanders is also in dire need of a fresh start. He could get that in Dallas, where he’d walk in as the best running back on the team. Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, and Deuce Vaughn are the only running backs on the Cowboys’ roster at the moment. That’s not exactly a murderer’s row to overcome.
Sanders can help their offense replace the big play ability that Pollard left behind. If all it would cost is a late-round pick or pick swap, Dallas should certainly give Carolina a call to see if they can bring Sanders back into the NFC East.
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