The Dallas Cowboys should have lost any hope they had of being a legitimately competitive team the second they traded Micah Parsons before the season officially got underway. But, the team has been a pleasant surprise through the first seven weeks of the season, posting a 3-3-1 record and having a fighter’s chance in virtually every game they play in. Unfortunately, that also works to their detriment, as every team they face has an equal shot against them.
The main culprit for that variance is the difference in production between the team’s offense and defense. Doing their best impression of last year’s Cincinnati Bengals, the team has relied entirely on its offense to keep them afloat. But that isn’t a recipe for a winning team, and one analyst believes the team could be a relatively small move away from becoming a real threat in the NFC.
Are the Dallas Cowboys Just 1 Piece Away?
Dallas is a fascinating team to witness through the first seven weeks of the year. While they’ve hung in the air with the likes of the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles, they’ve also been blown out by the Chicago Bears and lost to the Carolina Panthers.
The discrepancy in the team’s performance is jarring. But it becomes all too simple when you see how their two units are functioning. Diametrically opposed in every way, the Cowboys are good on offense (fourth on PFSN’s Offense Impact), as they are bad on defense (fourth-worst on PFSN’s Defense Impact).
That swing is unsustainable if the team wants to be a legitimate threat for a postseason berth. As a result, John Machota of The Athletic put together a list of potential trade candidates that the team could go after ahead of the trade deadline to improve their defense.
Among them, an intriguing fit for the roster was the 29-year-old Bradley Chubb from the Miami Dolphins. With the Dolphins a brutally worse version of the Cowboys themselves, a complete roster teardown seems inevitable at this point.
When the implosion comes, Chubb would be a viable target for any team to look at. A former fifth overall pick, he has been a consistent player nearly every season of his career. A two-time Pro Bowler, he left the Denver Broncos after a rough couple of years.
But joining Miami, he immediately found his groove again, and the team signed him to a five-year, $110 million extension. However, after renegotiating his contract this offseason, he is now on a three-year deal worth $54.49 million.
For Machota, though, the upside is undeniable, making him a viable target for Dallas. “The 29-year-old has four sacks through seven games this year. He’s two years removed from an 11-sack season. He has two years remaining on a contract that pays him around $19 million per year.”
The idea is simple. If the Cowboys want to be a legitimate playoff threat, then the defense needs to improve. Chubb offers a relatively cheap, safe option, that should help them take a step forward in that direction.
