Another week, another post about the Dallas Cowboys’ defense being their Achilles heel. But, go figure, that’s going to be the theme until Jerry Jones does something (many things) positive to fix that side of the ball.
At this point, though, let’s just state the obvious one more time: the Cowboys need a pass rusher. We don’t even need to bring up Micah Parsons. It’s been beaten to death. The fan base gets it. But, in order for this defense to even have a shot at being competent, they need to add someone to rush the passer. Rookie Donovan Ezeiraku is enjoying some momentum lately, but that isn’t enough.
One of the more popular trade ideas as the November 4 deadline nears has been the Cowboys going after one of the Miami Dolphins pass rushers, either Bradley Chubb or Jaelan Phillips. In this case, let’s take a look at a deal where Dallas lands Chubb, but also ask the question: does it move the needle enough for Matt Eberflus’ job to be safe?
The Cowboys will need more than a Bradley Chubb trade to save Matt Eberflus’ job
Maybe not ever Cowboys fan would call this a no-brainer, but to get Chubb for essentially a second rounder while he’s also locked down for the next two seasons? You can’t get a whole lot better than that, especially considering this franchise cannot always trust Jerry when it comes to the draft (hello, Mazi Smith?).
A second-round pick is rich, but the Cowboys also get a fourth rounder in exchange here, which makes it a whole lot more even.
It would be a good start at fixing this defense, but we are still talking about a unit that’s giving up the second-most points and yards through eight weeks. Is a single pass rusher going to bring that up inside the top half of the league? Maybe, if Chubb stays healthy.
In all likelihood, though, Chubb brings the Cowboys defense into the mid-20s in terms of overall rank. This unit still needs more help in the secondary, but ultimately, they’re going to need to find linebacker help more than anything else.
It’s hard not to state the obvious and say that Dallas needs help all over that defense, but even if they step up in the pass rush department, the Cowboys could continue to be cooked in the middle of the field. Put it this way: the Cowboys have given up the most 1st downs on runs in all of football with 77 allowed, per Pro Football Reference.
Chubb might help on the edge, but Dallas will continue to get gashed up the middle due to poor linebacker play.
All that said, Eberflus better be as good as gone after this season — if not fired during the season. Chubb is a talented player and would be welcomed into that defense in a heartbeat.
But, he isn’t saving Flus’ job. Not a chance.
