Jerry Jones made it rather clear he did not expect the Cowboys to be in on big-ticket trades, especially not ones Dallas brass initiated. True to the longtime owner’s word, the Cowboys stood down and will go into their latest playoff pursuit with the team they built in the offseason.
This did not quite cover the team’s deadline itinerary, though. The Cowboys still pursued linebacking help on the market, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. Dallas has been without Leighton Vander Esch since his Week 5 neck injury, thinning out a group the team already tinkered with this offseason.
The Cowboys are without two expected cogs on their defensive second level. Weeks before losing Vander Esch, the team saw third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown suffer an ACL tear. Vander Esch’s injury applied some pressure on 2022 fifth-round pick Damone Clark, whom the team moved into the starting lineup after not re-signing Anthony Barr. Clark leads the Cowboys with 56 tackles, 15 more than any other Dallas defender.
Markquese Bell, a 2022 UDFA, has operated alongside Clark as a regular. The converted DB has made 41 stops this season, and Pro Football Focus has viewed the Florida A&M product as the NFL’s 10th-best off-ball linebacker this season. Granted, that grade has come on just 249 defensive snaps, but the advanced metrics site tabs Bell as the league’s sixth-best coverage ‘backer. Vander Esch is not expected to miss the rest of the season; the sixth-year defender will be eligible to come off IR in Week 11. Though, the team’s trade push points to Vander Esch — who has a history of neck trouble — not being ready when first eligible.
This may cover the extent of the Cowboys’ outside pursuits at the deadline. The team was linked as a stealth Derrick Henry suitor, but Graziano adds it is not believed to have made calls to acquire a running back. The Titans made it fairly clear they were setting a high price on their contract-year star, who will now be a Will Levis resource, and the Cowboys were not believed to be chasing backs before last week’s deadline.
Tony Pollard‘s efficiency has taken an expected hit, with the Cowboys turning to the franchise-tagged RB as a three-down performer rather than a slick Ezekiel Elliott complementary piece. Pollard has not scored a touchdown since Week 1 and is averaging just 4.0 yards per carry. The 2022 Pro Bowler scored 12 TDs last season and posted an elite 9.5 yards per reception — he is at 6.6 in that category this year — along with a 5.2 YPC figure. Next Gen Stats’ rushing yards over expected metric places Pollard in the bottom 12 among qualified ball carriers. But no supplementary addition is en route. The 6-3 Cowboys will stick to their guns and make do with the roster they have built.