Cowboys: Why it makes sense to trade for this QB, skip draft

The Dallas Cowboys have a major hole at the backup quarterback position. Should they skip the NFL Draft and trade for this player?

With the 2016 NFL free agency nearly two weeks old, the Cowboys still don’t have a solid answer at the backup quarterback spot.

Should that worry you? Keep you up at night? Leave you yearning for a solution through the NFL Draft?

The answer is yes.

Dallas is electing to skip headline sagas with Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel, and rightfully so. But other guys have come and gone. Quarterback Matt Moore is hanging around his Miami digs, resigning with the Dolphins. Colt McCoy is doing the same with the Washington Redskins.

Heck, even Matt Cassel has a job.

This leaves the Cowboys with Kellen Moore and Jameill Showers. Both quarterbacks carry more questions than answers, which means they’ll need an offseason and preseason play time before a full evaluation is conducted.

The Cowboys, of course, could head to the NFL Draft to nab their future guy behind Tony Romo. But are any of the young choices eligible for first year play should their number be called? Or would they most likely need a year or two on the bench to learn and grow in the league?

These new crop of quarterbacks — from Carson Wentz to Jared Goff to Connor Cook — will need at the very least eight games or so before they step on the field as a starter.

Tony Romo might not last that long. We don’t know. This is the cold, brutal truth.

Though he had a successful surgery to strengthen the left collarbone, there isn’t a lot of confidence suggesting he’ll last a complete 16-game season. He turns 36 this April.

Folks, the Cowboys’ quarterback dilemma from 2015 isn’t over.

But there is an answer. Instead of reaching into the NFL Draft for their backup and future starter, why not trade for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots?

Follow me for a bit here.

Tom Brady, who turns 39 this August, just upped his contract that will keep him the starter in New England until 2019. There’s a reason why the Patriots grabbed Garoppolo with their second rounder, making him the 62nd overall pick in 2014.

Jimmy boy was good in college, like really good. And coach Bill Belichick, who doesn’t reach up for quarterbacks, saw this.

Garoppolo has seen some NFL action. The 24-year-old is 11 for 20 with a 64.5 completion percentage over two seasons. He has one touchdown to his name, no interceptions, 188 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 91.9.

Obviously that’s not a lot of numbers to bolster his trade value, but blame that one on Tom’s health.

So, what would it cost the Cowboys to get the former Eastern Illinois University quarterback?

Gregg Rosenthal from NFL.com reports that owner Robert Kraft is still interested in getting back their 2016 first-round pick. Though his letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was probably nice and neat and cordial, the chances of him getting what he wants is slim.

Now, the Cowboys aren’t (read: shouldn’t) going to part ways with the fourth overall pick. There’s tremendous value there to revamp the defense. Nor should the Boys use the pick to draft a quarterback so early.

This leaves their second rounder open for business.

The Cowboys have had bad luck in the second round, so why not go for a sure thing? Sure, Garoppolo isn’t locked for NFL success, but neither are the other 2016 rookie prospects.

New England will most likely want a first round tender for Garoppolo’s services, but would the 35th overall pick do?

Who knows. Maybe owner and general manager Jerry Jones should pick up the phone and ask.

It doesn’t look like he’ll get his Johnny Football. Jimmy can help him forget all of that though.

Next: Cowboys schedule private workout with linebacker

Thank you for reading the above article. It’s our sincere hope you’ll visit our site often as we work really hard to provide Cowboys fans with fresh, daily content about their favorite team. Please feel free to take part in further discussions about this topic below in our comment section. All we ask is that each participant is respectful in both their responses and towards others. Thanks again and…Go Cowboys!