Getty Cowboys OL Connor McGovern
In the days leading up to the NFL trade deadline, which officially passed on Tuesday, November 2, the Dallas Cowboys received a trade offer for offensive lineman Connor McGovern, 105.3 The Fan’s Bryan Broaddus reported.
Broaddus did not specify which team inquired about McGovern nor what compensation — likely a mid-round draft pick — was floated for his services. But it was confirmed that Dallas took a pass on the purported proposal.
“My friend @BryanBroaddus tells me and the world that the Cowboys had a trade offer for Connor McGovern that they turned down,” 105.3 The Fan’s Jeff Cavanaugh tweeted on October 29.
The Cowboys’ reluctance to unload McGovern, a promising third-year backup, aligned with team vice president Stephen Jones repeatedly cautioning against trade activity, claiming Monday, hours before the deadline, that “we really like our football team.”
“And we all know how quickly (things can change),” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, referencing injuries. “You can think you’ve got some depth at one point, and the next minute you’re up against the wall,” Jones said. “If the right situation came along, we felt like it was worth it to maybe give up a little in one area to really improve ourselves in an area that we felt like it would make a difference, then we’re open to that.
“Obviously, with what we’ve got coming back off the injured list, the way guys have been stepping up. At the end of the day, you need them all. So, it would have to be something really significant to make us make a move.”
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Refresher on McGovern
After redshirting his rookie campaign, McGovern has settled into a direct reserve role behind stalwart right guard Zack Martin. The 90th overall choice of the 2019 draft has recorded 125 offensive snaps and 42 special teams snaps across seven appearances this season.
Under the tutelage of offensive line coach Joe Philbin, there’s a belief that McGovern is a starter-in-waiting, be it for Martin — whom he replaced in 2020, making eight starts — or left guard Connor Williams.
“Great work ethic,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said in September, per the official team website. “I thought he finished last year as one of the stronger performers on our offensive line at the end of the season. … Definitely one of the offseason bright spots of an offseason where we had a lot of bright spots.”
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Tyron Smith Expected to Miss Week 9
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones revealed in a Tuesday radio interview that Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith is dealing with bone spurs in his ankle, an ailment first sustained in Week 6 that may require corrective surgery.
“We should and will practice with alternatives to him being out there,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via the Dallas Morning News.
McCarthy further disclosed Wednesday, upon the club’s return to practice, that Smith would be “pressed to play” in Sunday’s home game against the Denver Broncos. If the 30-year-old cannot go, Dallas could move over right tackle Ty Nsekhe or bring former starting RT La’el Collins off the bench and onto the blindside.
“[I would] rather Denver find out when they find out,” McCarthy said about Smith’s replacement, per the official team website.
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Cowboys Engaged Trade Offer Involving Key Backup: Report