Should Cowboys Trade Brandin Cooks for Jets' C.J. Mosley? Ex-GM Proposes Wild Idea

The Dallas Cowboys have a glaring need at linebacker this offseason. But should they solve it by trading away one of their receivers?

Should the Dallas Cowboys look into trading veteran receiver Brandin Cooks just a year after acquiring him from the Houston Texans? 

It was an idea floated by Mike Tannenbaum in his recent appearance on ESPN's "Get Up," where the former New York Jets general manager turned-TV analyst, proposed that his former team trade their top inside linebacker C.J. Mosley for Cooks. 

“This really works well for both teams,” Tannenbaum said. “Look, the Jets need outside speed, outside of Garrett Wilson with Aaron Rodgers coming back. They have depth in their front seven. The Cowboys desperately need size and speed at middle linebacker. …This is really going to help both teams.”

Dallas Cowboys receiver Brandin Cooks (left) and New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (right) / USA Today Network

On paper, a trade for Mosley works for the Cowboys. Even at 31, the former Alabama linebacker is still at the top of his game. Last season, while playing in all 17 games, Mosley totaled 151 tackles, with five for a loss, a half sack, two forced fumbles, and one interception, while grading out as the No. 6 best linebacker according to Pro Football Focus.

Yet, trading away the 30-year-old Cooks for Mosley doesn't seem very realistic for the Cowboys.

After playing in 16 games, Cooks totaled just 657 yards and eight touchdowns on 54 receptions, which ranked him third on the team behind CeeDee Lamb (1,749 yards) and Jake Ferguson (761 yards). 

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Landing a linebacker like Mosley, a five-time second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler, would be a big addition to the Cowboys' front seven, but doing so in exchange for Cooks seems very unlikely. 

However, the same may not be said about Michael Gallup. The former second-rounder out of Colorado State has struggled to refind his success from before the torn ACL. Gallup has totaled just 842 yards in the past two seasons and has become more of a third or fourth option in the Cowboys' offense behind Lamb, Ferguson, and Cooks. 

But is that value enough for New York? Would pseudo-GM Aaron Rodgers approve? Probably not ... sending us all back to the drawing board.