One thing that always stands true about NFL trade proposals at this time of year: They do not necessarily have to make sense, especially if they involve the Cowboys. So, with news thumping down on the NFL on Tuesday suggesting that Raiders star receiver Davante Adams could be had in a trade before next month’s deadline, it only made sense that Adams would be linked to Dallas.
Even if, truly, it does not make much sense. After all, the Cowboys’ problems with the current roster have been repeatedly exposed in the first month of the season, and while the receivers have not been great, that is not the unit most would expect to see addressed in the unlikely event of a trade.
Defensive line, sure. Edge rushers, given the injury situation? Yes. Running backs? Linebackers? Absolutely, help wanted.
But, at Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Kristopher Knox has the Cowboys attempting to improve by strengthening and area that is already a strength. Here’s how the proposed trade looks:
Cowboys Get: WR Davante Adams
Raiders Get: Conditional 2025 second-round pick, QB Trey Lance
Davante Adams-CeeDee Lamb Would Be NFL’s Top Tandem
Theoretically, the second-rounder would become a first-rounder if the Cowboys make a deep playoff run, something they’ve been unable to do in the last 30 years. Would they trade a first-rounder for a trip to the NFC championship game? Maybe. Here’s how Knox sees it breaking down:
“Dallas may have to win with its offense for the foreseeable future. That may be a problem because the team lacks reliable receiver depth behind CeeDee Lamb and has one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL. Trading for Adams would give Dak Prescott a top-tier perimeter receiver opposite Lamb and would reunite Adams with head coach Mike McCarthy. …
“In this hypothetical scenario, the threshold for flipping a conditional second-round pick into a first might be high. Dallas has shown that it can get to the playoffs. Winning multiple postseason games is now the goal—making an appearance in the NFC title game a sensible condition for the first-round pivot.
“To sweeten the deal, Dallas could include third-string quarterback Trey Lance.”
Cowboys Could at Least Save Face in This Trade
It would be tough to make this work, roster-wise, because pairing Adams with Lamb gives the Cowboys two alpha receivers to deal with only one ball. The Cowboys do need a No. 2, but Adams is not a No. 2.
Assuming they could put egos aside, though, we’ve already heard team owner Jerry Jones cry poverty when it comes to adding star players. Squeezing in Adams’ $25 million cap hit this year (part of a five-year $140 million contract with the Raiders) would require the Raiders to take on a lot more money than they’d like.
The Cowboys could get out of Adams’ contract after this season.
Moving Lance, though, as part of the deal would be a bonus, because it would allow the Cowboys to get out of the remainder of the $5.3 million they owe him while also allowing the organization to move on from what turned out to be an ill-advised move when they brought in Lance in the first place. Swapping him as an add-on in a Davante Adams deal allows Jones to neatly wipe the egg off his face.
Still, that’s not enough of a reason to move on Adams. The Cowboys have multiple units that are dumpster fires just now—they’ll need to focus on putting out those fires first.
