How the Stafford-Goff trade affects the Dallas Cowboys, NFC
Some big news shook up the NFL world on Saturday evening. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams came to terms on a deal that includes two starting quarterbacks. The Lions will receive 2016 first overall draft pick Jared Goff — who was taken 134 spots ahead of Dallas […]
Some big news shook up the NFL world on Saturday evening. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams came to terms on a deal that includes two starting quarterbacks.
The Lions will receive 2016 first overall draft pick Jared Goff — who was taken 134 spots ahead of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott — and a package of draft selections, while the Rams get 2009 first overall pick Matt Stafford in return:
There were rumblings that teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Football Team could make a move for the veteran Stafford. In the end, it was the Rams and Sean McVay that pulled the trigger to acquire the 12-year veteran.
How the trade affects the Dallas Cowboys and NFC Picture.
Jared Goff quarterbacked the Rams to the playoffs in three of his four full seasons as the team's starter. Still, it was becoming clear that McVay and the Rams were not completely sold on their signal-caller.
It was recently reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that Goff would be in a quarterback battle with backup John Wolford in training camp — if Goff wasn't traded before then. Well, Goff is out of town, and the Rams have a clear-cut starter in place with Stafford.
Stafford, 33, has just one Pro Bowl nod in his career to his name, but he has proven to be a quality NFL starting quarterback. By trading multiple first-round picks, the Rams obviously believe he is a needed upgrade over Goff.
Stafford isn't an elite signal-caller that is going to put on a team on his back and carry them to the playoffs by himself. That said, the Rams — with wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Van Jefferson and running back Cam Akers — have some strong weapons for Stafford to get the ball to. Not to mention Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey on the other side of the ball.
The Rams made this move because they believe that they are a quarterback away from being true contenders. Donald is the most dominant defender in football and Ramsey is a true shut-down corner, but all of that doesn't matter when the team is a lacking a quarterback.
With Stafford, the Rams now have a gun-slinging quarterback that has the ability to take shots down the field while also making just about any throw that McVay will likely ask him to make.
McVay is regarded as one of the elite play-callers and overall offensive minds in all of football. His work with Goff was pretty impressive, which gives reason to believe Stafford just landed in a great spot. Just look at the disparity of the scheme McVay runs in Los Angeles compared to the scheme that Stafford played in with Detroit:
The motion and the play-action will surely be very beneficial to Stafford and the Rams offense as a whole. McVay uses a lot of pre-snap motion and play-action designs to help his quarterback read the field while also getting the defense out of position. Stafford has the ability to take full advantage of that.
Los Angeles will be a popular preseason pick to make a deep run in the NFC Playoffs. It remains to be seen how much better Stafford makes the Rams, but it is very clear that the team felt that Goff was holding them back.
Pairing a solid, veteran quarterback with an offensive genius and an elite defense is a pretty good formula for success.
Dallas needs to get a deal done with Dak Prescott.
The Rams have made it clear that they are willing to do whatever it takes to win — and fast. They aren't wasting any time, and the move for Stafford shows that they feel that they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2021 and beyond.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to return to the NFC Playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season, where Dallas happened to lose to Los Angeles in the Divisional Round. Injuries — particularly to quarterback Dak Prescott — played a significant role in the Cowboys missing out on the postseason in 2020.
With Prescott and company healthy for 2021, the Dallas Cowboys should have a real chance to win the NFC East and be NFC contenders in the second season of the Mike McCarthy era.
The only problem is that Prescott remains unsigned after playing on the franchise tag in 2020 before going down with a season-ending injury.
Teams around the league are trading picks and willing to spend money to secure the most important position in sports; however, the Cowboys are playing with fire by not inking their franchise leader to a long-term deal.
The Rams showed that they are serious about winning by making a move at the quarterback position over the weekend. The Dallas Cowboys have the opportunity to do the same by securing Dak Prescott to a well-deserved contract extension.
Dallas is a legitimate threat in the NFC with Dak Prescott behind center. But, the more that the Cowboys delay rewarding the face of their franchise, the more the Cowboys will fall behind their competitors.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
