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NFL Rumors: Could New England Patriots Trade For Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant?

By Jason Fletcher
Published on: 13:30 PST, Oct 22, 2016

Could the Dallas Cowboys trade star wide receiver Dez Bryant to the New England Patriots? That’s a question that’s now being asked among sports fans after FOX Sports‘ Colin Cowherd brought the issue up on his show this week. The Cowboys have been winning with very little production from Dez, and Cowherd wonders if it makes more sense to trade the All-Pro wide receiver rather than continue to pay his big contract.

Let’s evaluate the possibility of a trade from both teams’ point of view.

The Dallas Cowboys currently sit at 5-1 and have done a complete 180 in terms of offensive philosophy this season with the injuries to Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. Instead of throwing the ball around the field the entire game, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has relied heavily on the strength of his offensive line and running back Ezekiel Elliott to take pressure off of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott.

The results have been amazing through the first six games of the season. Dallas leads the NFL in time of possession at 33:08 per game and is second in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 161.2. The ability to run the ball keeps the Cowboys’ suspect defense off the field and gives them more time to rest in between possessions which has been a huge factor for the unit.

The ability to run the ball also helps the passing game as Prescott is fifth in the NFL in quarterback rating at 103.9 and is completing 68.7 percent of his passes. The rookie from Mississippi State has only thrown one interception and has helped lead the Cowboys to the No. 3 ranking in total offense through the first six weeks of the 2016 NFL Season.

The Cowboys have accomplished all of this success with Bryant only appearing in three games and registering 11 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown on the season. With the way the offense is built, and will remain built for the foreseeable future, there’s just no need for a star receiver like Dez in order to be successful.

From the New England Patriots’ point of view, this could be a better version of the Randy Moss trade back in 2007. At this point, the Patriots are probably the best team in the AFC, but a trade for Bryant would certainly solidify that ranking. New England doesn’t really have any outside receivers currently on the roster as the team gets by with slot receivers Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, and Danny Amendola, in addition to tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett.

Adding a playmaker with Dez Bryant’s talent to Tom Brady’s arsenal would be a scary thing for the rest of the NFL. There wouldn’t be a single defense in the league that could cover all of the weapons that the Patriots could put on the field, which would essentially make the offense unstoppable.

Now, as much sense as this trade makes for both sides, it’s probably never going to happen. The Patriots would have to eat Bryant’s big contract which would likely mean making sacrifices elsewhere on the roster that general manager Bill Belichick is unlikely to want to do. Still, it’s an interesting thought from Colin Cowherd, just not a very realistic one.

[Featured Image by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]

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