The Dallas Cowboys fell to 3-4 with their loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. The question everyone is asking is where do the Cowboys go from here? With 10 games to play, is it possible for Dallas to correct course and set a path for the playoffs?
Getting some key players back from injury will help. However, this was an average team before Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and DaRon Bland (among others) went down. It's been apparent from Week 2 that the front office needs to look outside the organization for help.
Well, the NFL trade deadline is one week away. If Jerry and Stephen Jones were serious about winning - a large contingent of fans don't believe that is their ultimate goal - they wouldn't leave a stone unturned in search of upgrades.
A new running back, defensive tackle, wide receiver and pass-rusher would move mountains. It's obviously unrealistic to expect a trade at all four positions, but the Joneses were caught sleeping Monday as the Kansas City Chiefs struck a deal to strengthen their already-elite defense.
Chiefs trade for Patriots DE Josh Uche in move Cowboys should've made
Multiple reports confirmed Monday that the Chiefs acquired edge rusher Josh Uche from the Patriots in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
The NFL's only undefeated team continues to load up. Josh Uche has been involved in trade talks for more than a year now. And he finally lands with the champs. https://t.co/eseVDmC6j8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2024
That the two-time defending champs - who are undefeated, by the way - are always trying to improve while the mediocre Cowboys continue to preach confidence in "their guys" encapsulates everything that is wrong with this franchise.
This is a really smart move for the Chiefs. While Uche isn't a world-beater, he is a quality rotational pass rusher with starting upside. While Marshawn Kneeland is better against the run, Uche would slot in as the Dallas' top backup edge behind Parsons and Lawrence.
A second-round pick in 2020, Uche broke out two years ago with 11.5 sacks. He followed that up with 37 pressures and 28 hurries last season, both of which ranked second on the Patriots behind star defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
This year, Uche's 17.2% pass-rush win rate would rank second behind Parsons among the Cowboys' pass rushers. Veteran Chauncey Golston is the only other edge on the roster with a pass-rush win rate north of 10%, per Pro Football Focus.
Just how bad was Dallas' pass rush versus the 49ers? Tyrus Wheat, Mazi Smith, Linval Joseph, and K.J. Henry all posted a 0% pass-rush win rate, per PFF's John Owning. Carl Lawson was the standout of the group with a 5% win rate. They couldn't sniff Brock Purdy.
While Parsons, Lawrence and Kneeland will all be back soon, Lawrence and Kneeland rank 15th and 13th, respectively, on the defense in pass-rush win rate.
Uche would have been an ideal complement to Kneeland, who is strong against the run and still developing as a pass rusher. All it would have cost was a 2026 sixth-round pick, which Dallas may come into via the compensatory pick formula anyway.
Alas, Jerry and Stephen were asleep at the wheel. A tale as old as time.