After roughing up the New York Giants and New York Jets by a combined 70-10 score to kick off their 2023 season, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves in a bit of a trap game in Week 3 and took a 28-16 upset loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
In the least shocking news of the week, Cowboys fans were freaking out as the game unfolded while haters of America's Team are overjoyed.
Relax, folks. It's Week 3. Do you know what happened in Week 3 last year? The eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts, who won just three more games the rest of the season.
To make things clear, I'm in no way saying these Dallas Cowboys are on the same level as the Kansas City Chiefs. They're not. But despite the unfortunate loss of All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys are still loaded with tons of talented players.
Upset losses happen. That's just the nature of the NFL. But to pretend Dallas isn't still one of the best teams in the NFC is just irresponsible. They had a lousy week and lost to a bad team. Again, it happens. No roster moves really need to be made, although any team can always improve, right?
So, let's say Jerry Jones did want to shake things up a bit. Yeah, I know he's long been known to be a rational and unemotional owner who wouldn't dare change the status quo (you wouldn't believe how hard I laughed while writing that sentence).
But what if he actually did want to get a little bold and make a few trades? Here are three involving some pretty big names that might just work, starting with a guy the Cowboys just faced.
Dallas Cowboys trade target after Week 3 loss: Cardinals TE Zach Ertz
Okay, so maybe Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz is a little expensive.
But let's face it. Losing Dalton Schultz hurt the Dallas Cowboys. And while the young trio of Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot, and rookie Luke Schoonmaker is adequate, Ertz would undoubtedly be an upgrade. Jones could easily ship one of those guys and a late-round pick to Arizona and be done with it.
Despite the victory over Dallas, the Cardinals aren't in win-now mode, so don't be surprised if they shop the 32-year-old as the season progresses. They can free up some cap space as they continue to rebuild while also nabbing a young player and an extra draft pick.
Dallas Cowboys trade target after Week 3 loss: Buccaneers LB Devin White
The Dallas Cowboys were linked to disgruntled Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White during this past NFL offseason as the 2020 Second-Team All-Pro was unhappy about not receiving a contract extension.
And while White did receive a raise when the Bucs picked up his fifth-year option, he was clearly looking for a much bigger one.
Todd Bowles eventually got him to stop linking himself to other teams on social media, one of them being the Cowboys, White still doesn't have a contract beyond this season. And that's precisely the kind of player Jerry Jones should be looking at anyway.
Let's face it. The Cowboys' biggest weakness on defense is at the linebacker position. When healthy, Leighton Vander Esch can still get the job done, but Damone Clark is still a question mark. And Dan Quinn has had to resort to using safety Markquese Bell at linebacker at times.
So why not take a shot at Devin White as a one-season rental and see what happens? There's nothing that says the Cowboys have to keep him beyond the 2023 campaign, and they likely couldn't afford to anyway, as the 25-year-old is likely to command a lucrative contract this offseason.
And if not White, perhaps Jones should take a look at Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen, who Baltimore hasn't committed to beyond this season either.
Dallas Cowboys trade target after Week 3 loss: Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II
It's no secret that Jerry Jones was high on SEC Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II heading into the 2021 NFL Draft as the Dallas Cowboys desperately needed an upgrade at cornerback at that time.
Thankfully, the Denver Broncos took the Alabama superstar at No. 9, forcing the Cowboys to settle for Penn State standout Micah Parsons three picks later. How's that working out?
But now could be the time for Jones to nab the guy he initially wanted, as the Broncos' season is essentially already over after taking a 50-point loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
While Surtain didn't look great in that 70-20 drubbing (nobody on the Denver defense did), he's still one of the best young corners in the NFL, as evidenced by the fact that he earned First-Team All-Pro honors a season ago.
With rumors swirling that the Broncos may be open to some in-season trades, the Cowboys could pounce and send some personnel and a draft pick or two to bring PS2 to Dallas as a temporary replacement for Trevon Diggs.
As Surtain is in just the third year of his rookie deal, he's pretty cheap at the moment, as his cap hit is only $5.717 million this year and $6.669 million in 2024.
Stephon Gilmore's current cap hit is $9.92 million, but he's not signed beyond this season. Bringing Surtain into the mix now is an obvious upgrade over DaRon Bland or Jourdan Lewis. It also means Jones won't have to look for Gilmore's replacement this offseason.
And can you imagine having to face a Dallas defense next year with a healthy Trevon Diggs and Patrick Surtain II trolling the corners? Sure, the Cowboys would eventually have to pay PS2 what he's truly worth or cut him loose. But even a couple years of that combo would be worth giving up a few picks and/or a few players now.
Come on, Jerry. Make it happen. As you saw from the tweet above, even Surtain's dad wants him out of Denver.
