NFL player just gave the Cowboys all the more reason to pull off much-needed trade
Even if the Dallas Cowboys are trying to act as if it's no issue, the team could use an upgrade at running back. The plan put together by front office and coaching staff isn't working out and that starts with who's carrying the rock.Now granted, there are many other factors causing the Cowboys to be […]
Even if the Dallas Cowboys are trying to act as if it's no issue, the team could use an upgrade at running back. The plan put together by front office and coaching staff isn't working out and that starts with who's carrying the rock.
Now granted, there are many other factors causing the Cowboys to be incompetent running the football, such as blocking up front and the overall scheme. But it's highly difficult to act like the Cowboys don't lack some explosiveness at RB.
Rico Dowdle has been decent, picking over four yards a carry yet providing little explosion to the offense. Meanwhile, Ezekiel Elliott, who averaged under four yards per attempt in his last, is currently at three yards per carry and providing little value on offense. Deuce Vaughn has been a healthy scratch for the last couple of weeks and Dalvin Cook has yet to be activated from the practice squad, though last season sure doesn't make him look like the fix at RB.
That's why on Sunday, while watching the early London game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots, one particular player caught my eye as I inevitably thought: "(Jags RB) Tank Bigsby is pretty good… do they really need to keep Travis Etienne?"
With Etienne out with a short-term injury, Bigsby racked up 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars, who barely improved to 2-5, are likely to be sellers at the trade deadline and there's plenty of reasons to believe they'd consider moving on from Etienne.
In fact, fellow A to Z Sports' writer and AFC South specialist Destin Adams listed Etienne earlier in the week as a player who could be traded away by Jacksonville. Below is his full breakdown:
I'm sure this one will come as the biggest surprise, but the Jaguars should consider trading star RB Travis Etienne. He has been the Jaguars starter for all six games this season and has the most carries with 56, but backup Tank Bigsby is the team's leading rusher with 297 yards on only 41 attempts. Etienne is 67 yards behind Bigsby with 230 yards on the season, and both RBs are tied with two rushing touchdowns. Bigsby is averaging an insane 7.2 yards per rush, while Etienne sits at an average of 4.1.
It seems Bigsby having his breakout year, and it seems clear he needs more carries than he is getting. If the Jaguars want to clear up the logjam between the two, they would most likely get more via trade for Etienne, and there's reason to believe Bigsby is the better RB option right now for the Jaguars anyway. And with Etienne potentially having to miss a week or more with his current injury, it could open the door for Bigsby to steal the starting job away permanently. So if a contender desperately needs a boost to their running game, whether it's due to a lack of production or an injury, the Jaguars could send Etienne for a pretty lucrative draft pick-centered trade package.
Bigsby's rise opens the door for a trade that could really benefit the Cowboys this year. If they decide to be buyers (I'd argue Dallas could consider being sellers), running back is one of the many positions they could aim to improve. Meanwhile, the Jaguars could be more open to moving on and would be unlikely to demand much more than a middle to late round pick.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys are usually as conservative as it gets in NFL team building and have publicly stated they like the personnel already on the roster, right or wrong.
In all likelihood, they'll stay put with what they've got. But here's hoping they change their mind November 5th's trade deadline following Week 9.
