ESPN Says James Conner is 'Logical' Trade Option for Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys got a front-row seat to Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner, who was labeled as a "logical" trade partner.
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The dust is still settling on one of the biggest upsets of the early NFL season.

The 2-0 Dallas Cowboys marched into State Farm Stadium as heavy favorites to steamroll an Arizona Cardinals squad many believed to be tanking. After struggling all game, the Cowboys had the opportunity to tie things up in the fourth quarter but ultimately failed and dropped their first game of the season in 28-16 fashion. 

Arizona was mostly able to control the game thanks to a few splash plays from Josh Dobbs, Michael Wilson and Rondale Moore, but the main cog in the Cardinals' engine came as the usual suspect in James Conner. 

Conner touted the rock 14 times for 98 yards (7.0 YPC) and one rushing touchdown while catching both of his targets for 18 yards. 

In typical fashion, much of the national attention focused on the Cowboys losing rather than the Cardinals winning, and in ESPN's evaluation of Dallas' rushing attack, writer Bill Barnwell suggests the Cowboys take Conner back with them to the facility in Texas. 

ESPN Says James Conner is 'Logical' Trade Option for Cowboys

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner could be exactly what the Dallas Cowboys need, according to ESPN.
Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner could be exactly what the Dallas Cowboys need, according to ESPN

"The two biggest subtractions for the Cowboys on offense this offseason came at running back (Ezekiel Elliott) and tight end (Dalton Schultz). Both played huge roles in the red zone. Between 2021 and 2022, Elliott fielded 81 red zone touches to Tony Pollard's 48. Schultz led the team in red zone targets (30), receptions (17) and receiving touchdowns (11). Elliott and Schultz combined to score 35 of the team's 81 touchdowns inside the red zone over the past two seasons, including 29 of 64 inside the 10-yard line," wrote Barnwell. 

"The solutions the Cowboys have adopted to replace those guys are struggling. Pollard has 24 carries inside the red zone, 10 more than any other player in the league. He has a league-high eight carries inside the 5-yard line. I'm not sure I blame Pollard for those woes -- there were unblocked defenders on several of those failures, including his lone carry inside the 5 on Sunday -- but the Dallas rushing attack has not been efficient or well-orchestrated inside the 5 so far. It hasn't been very north-south over the past two weeks.

"... While the Cowboys will likely regress toward the mean inside the 20, their chances of being a dominant red zone offense might depend on McCarthy being creative to draw up opportunities for his undersize playmakers. (Kellen Moore's Chargers, in case you're wondering, rank second in red zone conversion rate.) This team needs a between-the-tackles runner to help near the goal line, and ironically, the most logical trade candidate would be Conner from Arizona."

Now, everything certainly has a price, but it's hard to see Conner departing from Arizona's offense given how well he's performed and how he fits in the Cardinals' scheme. 

That's a bit odd to say after GM Monti Ossenfort clearly displayed the ability to part with any name that didn't fit in the desert moving forward, though Conner has arguably been the team's best player since the start of the season.

Conner is under contract through the 2024 season, though the Cardinals have a potential out after this season that would only see them accrue $3 million in dead cap according to Spotrac


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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!