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The solution to the Dallas Cowboys’ woes at quarterback may lie within their NFC East rivals in Philadelphia. Throughout the offseason, we made the case for why a trade with the Eagles for veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew made sense, especially given Dak Prescott’s recent injury history.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Prescott is projected to miss six to eight weeks as he recovers from thumb surgery. Would the Eagles be willing to help out a rival at the most important position in sports?
The price to acquire Minshew might have gone up, but the Eagles could be willing to make a trade, given the team’s faith in Jalen Hurts. Former NFL scout turned Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy suggested that the Cowboys should reach out to the Eagles to discuss Minshew’s availability. Trading for Minshew could now cost the Cowboys a Day 2 pick, per Nagy.
“It’ll never happen because of NFC East rivalry but Gardner Minshew starting for Cowboys the next two months would be fun,” Nagy said in a series of September 12 tweets. “Probably isn’t greater trade leverage scenario than Cowboys needing half-season starting QB & dealing w/ GM who’s also owner. Howie Roseman only gave up 6th for Gardner Minshew. If Howie could get 2nd/3rd for Minshew it would be impressive flip. Jalen Hurts is incredibly durable.”
The Cowboys & Eagles Pulled Off a Trade During the 2021 Draft
There is precedent for the two rivals to work together. Philadelphia and Dallas previously agreed to a 2021 draft-day trade, with Dallas trading down from No. 10 to No. 12, where they eventually selected Micah Parsons. Philadelphia landed DeVonta Smith. The Cowboys also received a third-round pick in the trade.
In a deal for Minshew, the Cowboys would likely have to pay a “tax” to the Eagles given their rival status.
The Case for the Cowboys Making a Trade for Minshew
All indications are the Cowboys will lean on Cooper Rush during Prescott’s absence for nearly half of the season. By the time Prescott returns, Dallas could already be out of the playoff race.
Minshew is on the final season of a four-year, $2.7 million contract with a $2.5 million salary in 2022. The Eagles quarterback has 22 NFL starts.
Minshew’s best season came during his rookie year in 2019, when he threw for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 60.6% of his passes in 14 appearances for the Jaguars. He is also a threat with his legs, adding 344 rushing yards in the same season. In 2021, Minshew petitioned Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni to become the team’s QB1.
“I will say about Gardner, he is a competitor and he’s locked in whether he is the backup, whether he’s playing, right?” Sirianni explained during a January 6 press conference. “He’s been in both scenarios this year with the Jets game, playing in that game, not knowing if he was playing until late in that week. The guy’s going to prepare like crazy, no matter what the situation and he’s competitive.
“Every backup that we have on this team, if they didn’t want to be the starter, I’d have an issue with them being the backup. And so, Gardner has played a lot of football in this league. I got a lot of confidence in him that he’s our backup. … We always talk about wanting your backup quarterback to be able to come in and function and give you a chance to win. And we saw that he gave us [that], he was awesome in the game that he played against the Jets and so I would be disappointed if Gardner didn’t want to be the starter but obviously Jalen’s our starter.”
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