The Dallas Cowboys had a bye week to recover from a heavy loss to the Detroit Lions, but as they prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday, their issues persist.
One major concern is that Dallas has fielded arguably the worst rushing attack in the NFL through six weeks, necessitating an upgrade to improve the backfield duo of Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott if they want to balance the offense.
On October 22, Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus proposed a “fairytale” trade that would send Travis Etienne Jr. from the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars to the Cowboys to enhance their run game.
What should be a playoff-worthy roster is currently fragmented, indicating that changes may be imminent. Jacksonville ranks eighth in rushing EPA per play, partly due to the emergence of Tank Bigsby, whose 82.5 rushing grade is ninth among players with over 50 carries. This makes Etienne potentially expendable.
The Cowboys would eagerly welcome a player like Etienne, as their rushing offense has been disappointing all season, ranking 29th in team rushing grade and having the second-fewest explosive runs in the league.
Etienne is set to hit free agency after the 2025 season. With Bigsby now established as Jacksonville’s future at the position, Etienne becomes a more likely trade candidate before the November 5 deadline.
In his first two NFL seasons, Etienne rushed for over 1,000 yards each year and has recorded 18 rushing touchdowns across 40 games played.
