The NFL trade deadline will be here before we know it and the Dallas Cowboys will hopefully be involved. With needs at running back, though Rico Dowdle looked like an RB1 in Week 5, nose tackle and wide receiver, the Cowboys front office should already be working the phones.
Of course, the deadline is deeper than just looking to acquire talent. It's a great opportunity for teams like Dallas to move on from expendable players.
The Cowboys have ample depth at safety, but it would be shortsighted to trade Juanyeh Thomas or Markquese Bell with vets Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker potentially playing their final season with the team.
That brings us to the quarterback position. Despite playing the most snaps of any QB in the preseason, Trey Lance failed to beat out Cooper Rush for the backup job. As Dallas' emergency third-string QB, he has been inactive for every game so far.
It'd be best for both parties if Lance found a new home. A recent trade proposal from CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin is something to think about.
Cowboys urged to trade QB Trey Lance to the Dolphins before the deadline
With the Nov. 5 deadline just weeks away, Benjamin brainstormed a trade all 32 teams should make before the cutoff. Benjamin circled the Miami Dolphins as a team that should make a move for Lance.
"Tua Tagovailoa may return, but it feels irresponsible to trust he'll stay upright and/or safe," writes Benjamin. "Coach Mike McDaniel was with the San Francisco 49ers when the dynamic but unpolished Lance was drafted high."
The logic makes sense. Tua Tagovailoa is eligible to return from injured reserve in a few weeks. He'll then have a 21-day practice window to get activated or else he will go on IR for the rest of the season. While Tagovailoa has no intention to retire, it remains a mystery if he'll play again this year.
The Dolphins' offense has been a disaster since Tagovailoa's injury. Between Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley, their QB play has been unwatchable. Star wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been neutered. At one point, Miami went nine straight quarters without scoring a touchdown. They have scored a combined 30 points in the three games Tagovailoa has missed.
That isn't to say Lance would be much (or any) better than Thompson and Huntley, but the Dolphins have to give somebody else a shot before their season spirals out of control. Lance is familiar with McDaniel from their time in San Francisco and he'd give the Dolphins head coach an ace in the hole if Tagovailoa was to get injured again or potentially retire.
The elephant in the room, though, is Lance's expiring contract. The Dolphins would have to give up draft capital - likely a day three pick - and commit to him via a new deal. They wouldn't trade for him just to lose him in the offseason.
At this point, Cowboys fans are ready to wash their hands of Lance. With Dak Prescott under contract for the next four years, there is no point keeping Lance. The front office might as well call up one of his former coaches to see if there's interest.
