3 Cowboys Trade Targets After Week 2
The Dallas Cowboys enter Week 3 with a 1-1 record and a pivotal NFC East game against the New York Giants which are suddenly 2-0.
Thus far, the Cowboys' season has brought mixed results.
On one hand, they've battled through some adversity including losing Tyron Smith and Dak Prescott to injury and facing a tough Tampa Bay defense in Week 1. But they rebounded to earn a gritty three-point win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday to even up their record.
On the other hand, the performance against the Bucs was bad overall. The offense is still 27th in yards per play, and Dallas faces a tough test to match the Philadelphia Eagles within the division.
In short, the Cowboys could use some reinforcements. While midseason trades aren't always the answer, there are some interesting prospects they could pursue to bolster their roster.
WR Denzel Mims, New York Jets
Here's the complete list of wide receivers who saw at least one target against the Bengals in Week 2: CeeDee Lamb, Noah Brown and Dennis Houston. That's the list.
With just one offseason, the Cowboys have gone from the deepest wide receiver room in the league to just scraping by at the position.
Lamb needs to rise to the occasion as a No. 1 receiver. The franchise's confidence in him was one of the logical aspects of parting ways with Amari Cooper and letting Cedrick Wilson walk in free agency, but Dallas needs help from elsewhere.
James Washington got hurt in the preseason, Michael Gallup is still working his way back from the ACL tear that finished his 2021 campaign, and Jalen Tolbert has yet to make an appearance in the offense.
It might be time to look outside of the organization, and Denzel Mims is one of the most intriguing options. The 6'3", 207-pound receiver had a strong preseason but has vented about his lack of opportunity in the Jets offense.
The 2020 second-round pick has been absent from the active roster on game days for the Jets but could make an impact as a deep threat for the Cowboys.
After Garrett Wilson's two-touchdown performance against the Cleveland Browns, the Jets probably wouldn't mind parting ways with Mims for cheap.
LB Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons
This is a trade target that has made sense for a while on the field but didn't make a lot of sense on the payroll. That's not the case anymore.
Deion Jones' best days on the field came when Dan Quinn was the head coach with the Atlanta Falcons. He was the head man when Jones finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2016 and made the Pro Bowl in 2017.
His play was enough to earn him a four-year $57 million contract in 2019.
That same deal made him nearly untradable, but the club recently agreed to a restructured pact that added three void years and converted $8.5 million into a bonus.
It also means that if a team did trade for the linebacker, he would only cost them $1.1 million, per Aaron Freeman of Locked On Falcons.
Jones is currently on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, but he wasn't placed there until September 1 so he is eligible to return after Week 4.
He could join Leighton Vander Esch and Anthony Barr as veteran linebackers on the team who can allow Micah Parsons to play more as a pass-rusher.
WR Darius Slayton, New York Giants
The good news for the Cowboys is there are multiple receivers who would make sense on the trade market. If they don't like Mims or have trouble finding the right compensation for him, someone like Darius Slayton might be more to their liking.
The 25-year-old is a little more proven at the NFL level. He had eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2019 and two seasons with more than 700 receiving yards.
While Mims is strictly an outside receiver, Slayton has the ability to play in the slot. He hasn't majored in it throughout his career but at 6'1", 190 pounds, he would give them another guy to move around the formation.
The Auburn product has been a victim of the Giants' remade wide receiver room, and he's seen just four snaps in two games.
That isn't Brian Daboll's fault. Slayton has not looked good, and he caught only 44.8 percent of his targets last season.
However, the opportunity to play with Dak Prescott when he gets healthy and a change of scenery might help him get back to the player we saw early in his career.