In each of the past two seasons, the Dallas Cowboys won 12 games but failed to get where they wanted to go — the Super Bowl. To end their two most recent campaigns, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs. The only positive this year, is that it happened in the second round instead of the first.
While it’s easy to feel like there’s no hope following a postseason loss, the Cowboys have proven they can hang with the best teams. This year, they have a win over two of the teams in the final four — the Eagles and Bengals (although Jalen Hurts was out for the Philly game). That means they might not be as far off as it seems.
Having said that, here are five players they can target in a trade as they aim to become favorites for the Super Bowl in 2023.
5 trade targets that could put the Cowboys on top
5. Christian Barmore, DT
A former second-round pick out of Alabama in 2021, Christian Barmore is coming off his second season with the New England Patriots. He missed seven games in his sophomore campaign and has yet to be a regular starter.
In 27 career games, he has just five starts. Even with that being the case, he still has 69 tackles and four sacks thus far. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 310-pounds, Barmore is a huge body that can clog the gaps but he’s still known more for his ability to collapse the pocket in the passing game.
Dallas likes to attack defenses with waves of linemen but they don’t have enough guys over 300-pounds that can really frustrate opposing offenses. The Patriots might not be actively shopping Barmore but considering he played in just 49 percent of the snaps when active this season, it might not hurt to pick up the phone and ask.
4. Brandin Cooks, WR
For several days leading up to the 2022 NFL Trade Deadline, the Cowboys were said to be making a play for Brandin Cooks. The Houston Texans wide receiver was unhappy with the franchise and their struggles and wanted out — he did sign a two-year extension in the offseason, but that’s a different story.
Cooks is a veteran wideout that never seems to stick with one team for long. He was drafted by New Orleans in 2014 and played there for three seasons. He then went to New England for one year and the Los Angeles Rams for two.
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From there, he wound up with Houston and has been with the Texans for the past three seasons. He’s unlikely to make it a fourth, and if Dallas would have been willing to give up a second-round pick, he would have already been gone.
There was a lot of backlash when Dallas elected not to pull the trigger but it made sense. They were going to have to take on a pretty sizable contract since Cooks just signed a two-year, $36 million extension. Throw in the high draft pick and they weren’t willing to budge.
Now with Cooks still unhappy and an entire offseason to negotiate, the two sides could get back to the table. If so, Dallas should see what it would take. If they can swing it, they would land a player who has more than 1,000 yards receiving in six different seasons and with four different teams.
3. Cameron Jordan, EDGE
The New Orleans Saints had a season to forget, finishing 7-10. They spent the majority of the year with Andy Dalton under center and unless they make a move for a quarterback in the offseason, it might be time for them to start unloading players and begin a rebuild.
Should that happen, one of the most interesting names to watch would be Cameron Jordan. He has just one year remaining on his contract and while his cap hit is around $25 million, New Orleans would still be on the hook for $10 million of that.
Of course, there could be some negotiation as well, as we saw when the Cleveland Browns traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers, but whatever course they choose, Dallas could afford Jordan for one season.
Despite being 33 years old, Jordan is still playing at a high level. He had 66 tackles and 8.5 sacks this past season and just had 59 tackles and 12.5 sacks in 2021. Should the Cowboys bring him in, their defensive line would be incredibly strong with the 287-pound Jordan playing on one side and the 265-pound DeMarcus Lawrence on the other.
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They also would be able to continue rotating in Sam Williams, who had a strong rookie campaign, since both starters would be over 30. And as for their No. 1 sack artist, Micah Parsons, he would be free to move around even more, which is when he’s at his best.
If Dallas ever wants to figure out how to beat San Francisco, they might need to take a page from their book and stockpile talent on the defensive line. Adding Jordan does exactly that.
2. Jerry Jeudy, WR
One move that the Cowboys didn’t make in 2022 could come back to haunt them. They were in need of another wide receiver and it was understandable they didn’t want to surrender a top pick and still have to pay Brandin Cooks. What wasn’t understandable, was not pulling the trigger on Jerry Jeudy.
Before the deadline, Dallas called the Denver Broncos, and apparently, they were willing to part with their first-round pick from 2020 for a second-round pick. Again, the idea that they didn’t want to give that up for Cooks — and pay him roughly $18 million — was sound. Holding onto a second-round pick and not adding a talented wideout on a rookie deal is egregious.
Jeudy was actually taken two picks before CeeDee Lamb in 2020 and the Alabama product wound up having the best season of his career. Thanks to a couple of big outings in the second half of the year, he had 67 receptions for 972 yards and six touchdowns.
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While he’s not the same caliber of player as Amari Cooper, he’s a similar wideout in that he’s a route technician. Dallas missed that this season and Jeudy not only could have helped them during this playoff run, but they could have had him on an affordable deal for two more years.
And for those who say a second-round pick is too much, just look at some of the choices lately. Yes, they hit on Trevon Diggs and Sam Williams has shown promise, but they also went with Trysten Hill, Kelvin Joseph, and Connor Williams lately. Chances are high that all but one of those players would be traded for Jeudy.
1. Jalen Ramsey, CB
In 2016, the Dallas Cowboys had a transformative draft. They not only took Ezekiel Elliott in the first round, but they also landed Dak Prescott in the fourth. Jaylon Smith was also added in the second round and while he looked like a steal for a minute, that’s now one of the wounds from that class we don’t want to re-open.
Of course, they’re happy with the players they took — even though Elliott wasn’t as effective this year — but it wasn’t always a guarantee they were going to take the running back at No. 4. The rumors were that Dallas was looking at Joey Bosa, Zeke, and Jalen Ramsey.
Bosa was gone one pick before they were on the board and they ended up taking Elliott over the Florida State defensive back. Ramsey went on to become a star for the Jacksonville Jaguars and then was traded to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2019 season.
Since moving to L.A., he’s become an even better player and has finished in the top 10 according to PFF the past three seasons, including No. 1 in 2021 and No. 3 this year. In all, he has 452 tackles, 19 interceptions, 92 pass defenses, and six forced fumbles.
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Simply put, Ramsey is a game-changing talent.
He’s also on a team that took a massive nosedive in 2022 and is roughly $14 million in the hole to start the season. Dallas isn’t looking great either at the moment but they can make the moves to afford Ramsey, and if they did, their secondary would be arguably the best in the game.
This would be a huge investment but Jerry Jones has been growing impatient. If he wants to see a title again, he has to think long and hard about such a move.
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