The Dallas Cowboys have a few things to work on if they are going to reach the levels they feel capable of achieving. Currently 3-2 on the season, they were dealt a humbling loss at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, losing 42-10 on the season.
The blowout has led to some frustrations being voiced, as wide receiver CeeDee Lamb seemingly threw some shade at head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy has taken over the play calling this season and the results have been middling, to say the least.
Dallas has struggled mightily in the red zone, which McCarthy is certainly partly to blame for. He hasn’t done a good enough job of scheming his players open, while Kellen Moore, who left to become the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator, has his new team cooking.
Part of the issue is also because of the team’s personnel. The Cowboys’ two best red zone weapons in recent seasons have been running back Ezekiel Elliott and tight end Dalton Schultz. Elliott was released and signed with the New England Patriots while Schultz landed with the Houston Texans as a free agent.
Dallas has not found options to replace either of them, which has led to mixed results. Bill Barnwell of ESPN has suggested a fix to their issues by acquiring running back James Conner from the Arizona Cardinals.
“Conner is not a superstar, but he has converted 29 touches inside the 5-yard line with the Cardinals into 16 touchdowns while playing behind a middling offensive line. It’s a small sample, but that 55% conversion rate is better than the league average for running backs over that time, which is just over 40%. With this affordable deal, Conner could be a valuable 1B to Pollard over the second half of 2023 and into the postseason. If the Cowboys don’t feel good about Conner’s knee, they might need to dial up an old flame and see if the Patriots are ready to abandon ship on Ezekiel Elliott.”
Conner was off to an excellent start this season before a knee injury in Week 5 landed him on injured reserve. Players on IR can be traded, but his value will certainly take a hit as he will miss at least the next four games.
Dallas has what it takes to become a playoff team, but if they want to improve on their path to being contenders, their red zone woes need fixing. Barnwell has suggested that they offer a conditional 2025 pick to Arizona in exchange for Conner.
There would be nothing owed if Conner doesn’t score a touchdown in Dallas, protecting them in case his knee injury is of the season-ending variety. One score is a sixth-round pick while four scores would be a fifth-round pick. If Conner scored six touchdowns or ran for 500 yards, it would turn into a fourth-rounder.
That seems like a worthwhile deal for both sides. The Cowboys potentially fill a huge void in their game plan with the powerful running of Conner, a complement to Tony Pollard. The Cardinals get some kind of draft capital in return for a player likely not in their long-term plans as they are in the early stages of their rebuild.
