Cowboys may be looking to make a move at NFL trade deadline

The NFL’s trade deadline isn’t exactly like many other sports. Take the NBA for example. You’ll find teams putting players on the trade block, making deals to clear up cap space, or even looking to acquire that one big-name player that can help contend for a title. The NFL just isn’t like that, though, and while you may see one or two trades get done before the deadline, there’s not as much drama as in other sports. For the Dallas Cowboys, it seems as though they may be looking to potentially make some type of move as the 2016 NFL trade deadline approaches.

Via ESPN’s Field Yates:

Obviously, there’s the real possibility here that the Cowboys are just looking to create some space as a way to be safe moving forward in the season. But, with the trade deadline set to end at 4:00 pm ET on November 1, it’s hard to imagine that something isn’t cooking in the head of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones right about now. His team is sitting at 5-1, they’ve won five straight, and are atop the NFC East. It’s probably a pretty safe assumption that Jones is willing to do anything and everything possible to make sure that his team doesn’t take a step backward after their Week 7 bye.

As for the part about offensive tackle Doug Free and his contract, he’s a piece of that dominant offensive line and signed a three-year, $15 million restructure before last season. As pointed out by Zeke Barrera of Cowboys Wire, Free has been one of the most reliable players, as well as a key leader on the young Cowboys line. He’s played in 113 of 118 games dating back to 2009.

Back in 2012, the Cowboys chose to move Free to right tackle, placing second-year star Tyron Smith at left tackle, a move which proved to be the right one.

Barrera also points out that with the conversion of Free’s current contract, the Cowboys’ are sitting with around $4.2 million in cap space for the rest of this season. Not only could that money be used to go towards a player’s remaining 2016 contract, but it could potentially be a pretty strong player at that.

Time will tell what the Cowboys are going to do moving forward, but their defense has been performing well, and their offense is one of the best in the NFL currently. Dallas not only ranks No. 3 in the NFL in offensive yards per game (401.5), but also No. 8 in points per game at 26.5. The defensive side of the ball has been the real shocker for the Cowboys, though, as they’ve allowed just 17.8 points per game, good for No. 7 overall in the league.

Not too shabby when you consider that this defensive unit was expected to be near the bottom of the league in the bulk of categories. If the Cowboys do choose to add some talent, it may come in the form of a pass rusher, as they’ve totaled just 11 sacks through six games. While the number isn’t bad, it’s an area that could help make every other aspect of their defense better as well.