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Jones loves to fancy himself as one of the bigger risk takers in the league, and he has made some big splashes during the middle of the season, before. But he failed to give his team a boost this year. It’s curious as to why Jones didn’t pull the trigger since some of his deals have paid off recently, such as the trades for wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.
Dallas was a good team, but they were shorthanded at cornerback and linebacker, and the team stood pat at the trade deadline.
When starting LB Leighton Vander Esch went down, the defense was woefully thin at the position and despite some solid play by converted safety Markquese Bell, the Cowboys needed help. The team didn’t have to make a huge splash, but trading for anyone who could provide support on the second level would have been a welcomed addition. Bell and Clark did admirable jobs, but more was needed.
Cornerback was another place that could’ve used an upgrade. Things worked out well for the most part with CBs DaRon Bland, Stephon Gilmore, and the re-emergence of Jourdan Lewis late in the year, but it always felt like the defense was a CB short. Bland had an All-Pro year and Gilmore was solid, but the Cowboys needed another young, athletic CB to play the way coordinator Dan Quinn wanted, and when CB Trevon Diggs was lost for the season, Quinn lost some of what he wanted to do.
Rumors had the Cowboys checking on CBs available at the deadline, most notably Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson, but the price was too high to make a move.
In a year where the Cowboys had everything going in the right direction, failing to trade for a LB, CB, or any other piece, to help them get over the hump seems like a mistake.
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