Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans should swap high picks for Tony Romo

With health concerns clouding Tony Romo’s trade value, the Dallas Cowboys should offer a simple Texas pick swap

The Tony Romo saga continues to consume NFL news outlets as the Dallas Cowboys inch closer towards free agency.

No one is really sure what Romo’s trade value should be, if there’s any at all.

Clearly he could vault a borderline contender into a full blown playoff threat if his body held up over a full season.

However, that “if” is as big as Texas when considering his fragile recent past.

Forfeiting a third or fourth round pick for an elite, yet aged passer who could be sidelined within weeks is risky business.

With that in mind, there’s one ideal trade that would eliminate such a risk and be a win-win for both teams involved…

Romo would shuffle three hours down the road to a playoff caliber team.

With an elite defense and offensive weapons on hand, the Texans are a highly competent passer away from immediate title contention.

Romo already claimed he’ll lower his base salary to join a team that fits his criteria.

A simple first-round swap would provide the Texans with the elite arm they’ve been seeking. At the same time they wouldn’t lose a single draft pick.

According to the Drafttek draft points chart, the Texans’ 25th pick is worth 720 points, while the Cowboys’ 28th pick is worth 660.

The 60 point difference is valued as the 21st pick in the 4th round (117 overall).

In essence, by allowing Dallas to move up three spots, Houston would be trading a 4th round pick in value, yet not lose an actual pick.

They would remain in the first round, yet delay the selection by three spots.

How would moving up three picks benefit Dallas? According to CBSSports.com, three coveted pass rushers are ranked 26-28th overall.

Takkarist McKinley (26), Tim Williams (27), and Taco Charlton (28) all grade between Houston and Dallas’ pick.

Over the last two drafts, four defenders were selected between picks 25 and 27.

2015: LB Shaq Thompson (Carolina – 25), S Byron Jones (Dallas – 27)

2016: CB Artie Burns (Pittsburgh – 25), DT Kenny Clark (Green Bay – 27)

All four players started as rookies, were quality contributors, and are now key cogs in their team’s defense.

By moving up slightly, Dallas would clearly gain a better opportunity to secure a talented player that fills a big need.

Houston would finally have a real shot at elite QB play boosting them to another level. Plus they’d still add a quality first round player.

This simple, small move pick swap would pay Texas-sized dividends for both teams.