3 trades the Dallas Cowboys should absolutely avoid

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

Update: This story was published before the injury suffered by Andy Dalton against Washington. Dallas may now be forced to trade for quarterback help. FanSided.com suggests the Cowboys should trade for Jameis Winston and see what happens. Below is the rest of the story as it appeared prior to Dalton’s injury.

After watching quarterback Andy Dalton’s embarrassing debut for the Cowboys in their 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last Monday night, it’s easy to question whether the former Cincinnati Bengals’ starter is, in fact, the best backup passer in the NFL.

Dalton arrived in Dallas as a three-time Pro Bowler who many thought would be able to lead the talented Cowboys’ roster to wins without Dak Prescott under center. After one game, that doesn’t appear to be the case. And perhaps the organization should be looking elsewhere to find a better passer to try and save their season.

But there are two points fans should remember before judging Dalton’s debut too harshly. First, the offensive line protecting the veteran passer is absolutely decimated due to injuries. Dallas will basically be starting the worst O-Line in the NFL this Sunday.

Secondly, the player whom the Cowboys needed to carry them against an ascending Cardinals team failed to do so. That being running back Ezekiel Elliott. Zeke fumbled twice early in the Week Six contest, once again forcing Dallas to play from behind and leading to Dalton throwing an unacceptable 54 times.

One name that has been tossed around as a possible trade target is quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. That after the Miami Dolphins opted to bench Fitzmagic in order to make their rookie first-rounder, Tua Tagovailoa, the starter moving forward.

Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins to a 3-3 record, completing an impressive 70.1% of his passes for 1,535 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His QBR of 82.5 is the second-highest of his 15-year career.

Despite the fact Fitzpatrick might appear to be a better option than Dalton to led the Cowboys in a substandard NFC East, both have had a history of success in the NFL. Despite there being plenty of offensive weapons in Dallas, any quarterback the Cowboys would find on the trade block would struggle behind this porous offensive line and with a team that possesses the worst turnover differential (-12) in the league.

Andy Dalton has spent a significant amount of time with the coaching staff in Dallas, on the practice field building chemistry with these players, and hopefully winning hearts in the locker room. Those are all positives any new arrival would not have coming in and would likely cost the team future draft picks to acquire. Nearing the halfway mark of the season, that makes Dalton the Dallas Cowboys’ best hope for winning football games in 2020.