Cowboys' fairytale trade could become reality if AFC bottom-feeder sells

The Dallas Cowboys have a poor running game. Anyone with an IQ roughly in the double digits can see that. After eschewing both a veteran like Derrick Henry and a draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Dallas' backfield consists of the declining Ezekiel Elliott and the wholly average Rico Dowdle in featured roles.

While Dallas needs to find an adequate No. 2 wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb and a run-stuffing defensive tackle, the biggest issue facing this team is the fact they can't run the ball to save their lives. Everything is solely on the arm of quarterback Dak Prescott, which is an unwise strategy this season.

The Cowboys may end up making a trade for a running back, even if the market is quite thin right now. If Jerry Jones has a quick enough trigger finger, they could land a player who has fallen out of his team's starting lineup in what Pro Football Focus is calling a "fairytale" trade for Dallas.

PFF singled out Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne as a possible Cowboys trade candidate. With his rookie contract up soon and Dallas not obliged to commit to him for a few years, Dallas and Etienne could use each other to boost the Clemson star's value while beefing up the overall running game.

Cowboys connected to trade for Jaguars RB Travis Etienne

Etienne, who missed his rookie year due to injury, has piled up over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,400 yards from scrimmage in each of his first two seasons with the Jaguars. His chemistry with former college teammate Trevor Lawrence helped boost the Jags' offense, but he is fizzling out behind a suspect Jacksonville offensive line.

While Bigsby is clearly the more powerful north-south runner of the two, Etienne still has tremendous speed and breakaway potential when he isn't in a rudimentary scheme. Lawrence has his moments, but Prescott is still an upgrade, and the threat of Dak chucking it downfield could open things up for Etienne on the ground.

This would be bad news for Dowdle, as he may be more likely to lose a high percentage of his workload if Elliott is able to become an effective short-yardage back. Etienne, meanwhile, would become the new RB1. Behind Dallas' offensive line, which is better than Jacksonville's unit, his production could return to 2024 levels.

Etienne by himself is not going to fix all of the Cowboys' problems, but it seems like he is still the best available running back on the market if Arizona is keen on making a push with James Connor as the quarterback. Etienne's dynamic style would give Dallas the juice they've been missing.

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