3 Dallas Cowboys Trade Findings subsequently

The Dallas Cowboys hype train is chugging along at maximum speed through two weeks of the NFL season. Mike McCarthy’s team has put on two complete performances en route to a combined score of 70-10 in wins over the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Some of that has to do with the level of competition. The Giants went on to barely get by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, and the Jets are a lot less exciting with Zach Wilson taking snaps instead of Aaron Rodgers.

However, those Dallas performances are still very real. The Cowboys have one of the best defenses in football, and the offense has been efficient in their first two games without Kellen Moore calling the plays.

That means Dallas could be buyers once the trade deadline approaches. If it can make a move that pushes the chips a little further in on making a Super Bowl run this season, it would make sense.

Here’s a look at three players the Cowboys should have their eyes on.

TE Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals

The Cowboys are trying their hardest to make Jake Ferguson a key part of the offense. In Week 1, he led all tight ends with a 43.8 percent target rate and had a 28 percent target share, per Player Profiler.

The 24-year-old caught a touchdown pass in Week 2, but he still had just three catches for 11 yards on four targets.

Luke Schoonmaker also had a touchdown, but that was his only target and came on the one-yard line. He will continue to come along slowly as a rookie.

The young group of tight ends has some promise, but it’s one of the few positions on the roster that the Cowboys could realistically upgrade with a trade.

Zach Ertz could be the top tight end available for trade in-season. He is still a reliable target with 12 catches for 77 yards through the first two games of the season.

The Cardinals are not in win-now mode, so it doesn’t make sense for them to cling too tightly to the 32-year-old. They should be happy to pick up a draft pick and get him off the books to free up cap space to continue their rebuild.

WR Chase Claypool

The Chicago Bears made a regrettable trade when they shipped off a second-round pick for Chase Claypool last year. That selection became the 32nd overall selection while the player has vastly underperformed in the Windy City.

That has become even more apparent in the first two weeks of this season. With a full offseason to get acclimated and to buy into what Chicago is doing, the 25-year-old has been nonexistent in the offense.

He has just three catches on 10 targets for 36 yards and a touchdown. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk) reported the Bears were frustrated with the receiver’s effort and he would be “possibly even shipped out of town again.”

Taking on a player like Claypool with questionable effort is a gamble. That’s the kind of thing that could throw off chemistry, but it’s a relatively low-risk gamble for the Cowboys. If the Bears are desperate to unload him, they probably will do it at a discounted price.

Claypool’s cap hit is only $3 million this season, so there’s little financial risk to it either.

At best, he would be rejuvenated by playing for a winning team with a real chance to contend and emerge as yet another weapon for Dak Prescott. At worst, his poor effort continues, and the Cowboys can cut bait at a relatively low cost.

Claypool is a gifted receiver when he’s at his best. He is a big, physical presence who isn’t quite like anyone else the Cowboys have and would provide some insurance against an injury like the MCL sprain that held Brandin Cooks out of Week 2.

LB Patrick Queen