NFL injury announcements spark Dallas Cowboys trade rumors ahead of league’s trade deadline
The latest NFL injury news has Cowboys Nation thinking of potential trades ahead of the deadline.
In the final stretch leading up to Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, everyone is trying to figure out what injury reports mean. Are players being ruled out truly injured, or are their teams protecting them from injury before trading them away?
As the Dallas Cowboys gear up for a Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, that’s what popped into my mind when I saw the injury updates of the Tennessee Titans. The same happened on social media, as many NFL fan bases speculated and joked about these players being headed to their teams.
The 1-7 Titans are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline, and they announced the following players are ruled out ahead of Sunday:
- DT Jefferey Simmons
- EDGE Arden Key
- S Xavier Woods
- WR Calvin Ridley
After doing some digging and reaching out to colleagues on the Titans’ beat, it’s clear the above players are legitimately hurt. So no, this isn’t necessarily a sign they’ll be sending any of them away. However, it doesn’t mean they aren’t shopping them ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline.
Specifically, edge rusher Arden Key is a name to watch that makes sense for the Cowboys. Not only would he fill a position of need in Dallas, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport mentioned Key’s name to watch ahead of the trade deadline. With only one year left on his deal (excluding void years), he could make sense as a relatively cheap acquisition. I wouldn’t expect him to cost more than a Day 3 pick.
To a degree, safety Xavier Woods would also make sense. He’s a former Cowboys draft pick, which means the front office likes him, and Dallas is seriously banged up at safety. Last week, it played without its top three safeties and had to play corners at the position, along with UDFA Zion Childress. However, I’m not sure they’re high on Woods at this point in his career.
Who fans want to know about, though, is three-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons. Earlier in the year, Yahoo Sports insider Charles Robinson reported the Cowboys could be interested in him as long as they were in the playoff hunt at the end of October. Would a win over the Cardinals on Monday convince Jones to make such a big move at 4-4-1? I doubt it. And that’s not the only problem with a hypothetical Simmons trade.
Simmons would be a huge upgrade, but there’s a problem
Anyone who has watched Simmons’ monster athleticism and strength on the field knows how much of an impact he would make on any defense. He’s one of the best defenders in the entire NFL. However, I don’t buy that the Cowboys will be willing to give up high-end draft capital for him.
Dallas signed Osa Odighizuwa to an $80 million contract and got Kenny Clark as part of the Micah Parsons trade. And Simmons essentially plays the same position. That is to say, he’s not a true nose tackle, which is what the Cowboys don’t have. Even still, if it happened, it would be celebration time because Simmons is a baller.
This story was originally published in A to Z Sports Dallas Cowboys, as NFL injury announcements spark Dallas Cowboys trade rumors ahead of league’s trade deadline
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