The Dallas Cowboys are looking dominant early on in 2023, winning their first two games by a combined score of 70-10 and ranking No. 1 in the NFL in defense.
However, there do appear to be some holes for this club, namely on the offensive side of the ball.
While the Cowboys are averaging 35 points per game, much of that is due to their dominant defense controlling field position and forcing turnovers (Dallas has seven takeaways thus far).
You would think that with a 40-0 win over the New York Giants and a 30-10 triumph over the New York Jets that the Cowboys would have one of the league’s top offenses, but they don’t.
As a matter of fact, Dallas’ offense has been below average this season, as it ranks 18th in the NFL in yardage. Now to be fair, constantly having good field position will make it difficult for you to rack up a ton of yards, but the middling numbers of both Dak Prescott and running back Tony Pollard demonstrate that the offense could use some help.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, they have until the Oct. 31 trade deadline to bring in some reinforcements, and there should be some good names available.
Take Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz for example.
Dallas is certainly very familiar with Ertz from all of the years he spent with the Philadelphia Eagles. During his time in Philadelphia, Ertz made three Pro Bowl appearances, with his best season coming in 2018 when he hauled in 116 receptions for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.
While Ertz is no longer the elite tight end he once was and missed a good chunk of 2022 due to a torn ACL, he remains a reliable threat in the passing game, as evidenced by the fact that he has logged 12 catches for 77 yards through the first two weeks of 2023.
The Cowboys have had a whole lot of difficulty finding a dependable tight end since Jason Witten’s retirement after 2020. They did take Luke Schoonmaker in the second round of the draft last spring, but he has had a very limited role early on, catching a lone one-yard pass (although it was a touchdown grab).
Bringing Ertz aboard could make life a whole lot easier for Prescott and open up the field more for CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks.
Plus, given the fact that Ertz is 32 years old and the Cardinals are clearly not contending this season, it likely would not cost too much for Dallas to acquire his services. It might only take a late-round pick for the Cowboys to pry him away from Arizona.
Since last winning the Super Bowl during the 1995-96 campaign, Dallas has not even made the NFC Championship Game. Overall, the Cowboys have recorded a grand total of five playoff wins during that span.
With Dallas looking awfully super early on in 2023, adding a guy like Ertz would go a long way to potentially putting the club over the top.
