The Dallas Cowboys are 3-4 entering Week 9, but that might not prevent Jerry Jones and the rest of the club’s decision-makers from making a move at the 2024 NFL trade deadline.
If the Cowboys orchestrate a trade before Tuesday’s cutoff, what position should they target? Landing a former first-round running back from an AFC team going nowhere fast could make sense for Dallas.
Cowboys Should Acquire Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr. at NFL Trade Deadline
Few teams need a running back upgrade more than the Cowboys, who were forced to rely on an Ezekiel Elliott-Dalvin Cook tandem when regular starter Rico Dowdle was sidelined by an illness in Week 8.
Entering Week 9, the Cowboys rank 22nd in EPA per rush, 23rd in rushing success rate, and 32nd in yards per carry. They’re dead last in explosive runs — only 3.3% of their attempts have gone for 12+ yards. Conversely, 16.4% of their runs have gained zero or negative yardage, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL.
A myriad of factors beyond the identity of the running back determine whether a team’s rushing attack is productive, but Dallas needs another option in the backfield.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when asked on @1053thefan about the possibility of Dallas doing something significant before next week's trade deadline: "If I see something … we look for all the meat on the bone that can improve our team."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 1, 2024
The Jacksonville Jaguars could be open to trading Travis Etienne Jr. as their 2024 campaign falls apart, and Jones might be intrigued by the idea of adding a former first-round pick.
Etienne has missed the past two weeks with a hamstring injury, so he’d need to get healthy for this deal to work. He’s considered a game-time decision for Week 9.
Here’s what a potential Etienne trade might look like:
- Cowboys acquire: RB Travis Etienne Jr.
- Jaguars acquire: 2025 fifth-round pick
The Clemson product missed his 2021 rookie season with a Lisfranc injury but surpassed 1,400 scrimmage yards in 2022 and 2023. This year has been more of a struggle, as injuries and Jaguars RB2 Tank Bigsby’s breakout have tempered Etienne’s production.
Still, he’d represent a significant improvement over the Cowboys’ incumbent running backs. The Jaguars already exercised Etienne’s 2025 fifth-year option, so Dallas would have him under contract for $6.143 million next season.
Pro Football Network’s Playoff Predictor gives the Cowboys less than a 10% chance of rebounding to make the playoffs in 2024. Etienne wouldn’t suddenly save Dallas’ season, but he’d been a worthwhile asset the club could control into next year.
In 2018, the Cowboys were 3-4 when they sent a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for wideout Amari Cooper. Like Etienne, Cooper had 1.5 years remaining on his rookie contract. Cooper played out the rest of his existing deal with Dallas before agreeing to a five-year, $100 million extension to stay with the Cowboys in 2020.