NFL Overreactions Week 9
USAT’s Prince Grimes breaks down the biggest storylines from NFL Week 9.
Sports Seriously
After endless speculation, the trade deadline has arrived (Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. MT/3 p.m. CT) and the Dallas Cowboys got a player from Cincinnati, just not that player from Cincinnati.
Per reports, Dallas picked up Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson for a seventh-round pick, which comes after rumors that they were after the biggest name who might be on the trading block, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
There could be more trades to come, as Dallas has been linked to a player who helped beat them Monday night, Cardinals Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker.
That speculation was fueled after Jones on Monday said his team has made one trade and may make several more, though, of course, he didn’t give details.
Here is what’s going on.
Logan Wilson
Though he’s not an edge rusher, every position on Dallas’ porous defense is an area of need and Dallas addressed linebacker by picking up a 29-year-old former third-round pick out of Wyoming, Logan Wilson.
Wilson, who was drafted in 2020 and is under contract through next season, has 19 solo tackles this year and 27 assists and has recovered a fumble.
Best of all for Dallas, he was cheap, costing only a seventh-round pick.
Budda Baker trade
Jones said the Dallas Cowboys have made a trade that won’t be announced until today’s trade deadline, and before the Wilson trade, most speculation centered around four-time All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals.
Cowboys fans might recognize him: He recovered a fumble and had four tackles against them Monday night.
Baker has 25 solo tackles and 28 assisted tackles this season, with two passes defended this year. The 29-year-old made the Pro Bowl last year and led the NFL in solo tackles in 2019.
While most speculation about a trade centered on edge rushers, safety is an area of extreme need for a defense ranked last in the NFL.
Details, notably what Dallas would potentially have to give up for Baker, have not yet been reported. Baker would probably be worth a third- or fourth-round pick.
Jerry Jones
As for what Jones did to fuel this, on his weekly Monday radio show he said, “”A lot of action going on right now in terms of trading, we certainly have made a trade and we may make a couple more trades before that deadline. We’ve made one. We possibly could make two more, and I’m going to wait and let you read about that when we send the papers in (Tuesday).”
Dallas Cowboys record
Dallas is 3-5-1 after the 27-17 loss to Arizona on Monday Night Football.
Dallas Cowboys score. Did the Cowboys win?
The Cowboys did not win; they lost 27-17 to the Arizona Cardinals, a game they were favored to win.
Troy Aikman Dallas Cowboys
Dallas’ former quarterback, now an announcer for Monday Night Football, wasn’t complimentary about his former team as they got picked apart by Arizona.
On the air, long before any trades were official but after Jones’ proclamation that one was coming, Aikman said, “He may want to cancel that trade. I don’t think one player, from what I’ve seen tonight, is going to make a difference for this group.”
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.