There is an endless list of stats that paint the Dallas Cowboys' defense as the worst in football. Perhaps the most embarrassing nugget is that they never got the ball back against the Panthers after punting the ball with just over six minutes left in Sunday's game.
It's not like Carolina beat Dallas with explosive plays. Rico Dowdle ripped 6.1 yards per carry on his 30 rushing attempts. It was death by a thousand body punches, which is far more embarrassing than what unfolded against Russell Wilson and the Giants in Week 2.
While Jerry Jones shouldn't go all-in, one or two moves before the Nov. 4 trade deadline are necessary to salvage the season, if that's the ultimate goal. A trade for Saints veteran linebacker Demario Davis would do the trick.
Cowboys should call the Saints about a Demario Davis trade
It's impossible to watch all 32 teams closely, but it feels obvious that the Cowboys have the worst linebacker room in the NFL.
Kenneth Murray is unplayable, for starters. Rookie fifth-round pick Shemar James is making a lot of tackles, but most of them are six or seven yards downfield because he's still learning how to read and react. Marist Liufau can make splash plays, but he often overpursues or has poor gap discipline. Jack Sanborn is fine against the run, but teams go out of their way to target him in coverage.
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While Davis wouldn't completely fix the defense, he'd give the Cowboys a sturdy veteran presence who has gap discipline and a high football IQ. He's quietly putting together another Pro Bowl-caliber season at age-36, ranking fifth among inside linebackers with a 90.2 run-defense grade, ninth with an 81.1 defensive grade, and tied for sixth with 14 run stops, per Pro Football Focus.
The Saints have been reluctant to part with Davis in the past, but that could change this year now that the three-time All-Pro is in the last season of a two-year contract. New Orleans is 1-5, and has multiple other players circled as potential trade candidates, including running back Alvin Kamara and receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
Davis, who'd only cost a fifth-round pick at most, would go a long way towards remedying the spine of the defense, which has been a horror show. Pairing Davis with DeMarvion Overshown, who's expected to return in November, would give the Cowboys something to play for in the second half of the season, assuming the offense stays healthy and on track.