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The Dallas Cowboys could be looking at a solution for their red zone struggles.
In a “realistic” trade scenario proposed by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Cowboys would flip a conditional 2025 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner. The two-time Pro Bowl running back is currently on the injured reserve list after suffering a knee injury during Week 5. However, while Conner is expected to miss at least four games, he’s not expected to miss the remainder of the season.
James Conner Is One of NFL’s Best Red Zone Threats
Conner has been one of the NFL’s best red zone threats since joining the Cardinals back in 2021, Barnwell wrote. Meanwhile, the Cowboys rank 28th in the league in scoring touchdowns in the red zone, converting on just 36.8% of their opportunities. Though Tony Pollard has excelled as the starting running back, he has not made the most of his red zone opportunities.
“Dallas would be adding Conner to help solve its woes inside the red zone,” Barnwell wrote in his October 12 opinion piece. “Tony Pollard’s nine carries inside the 5-yard line have produced just two touchdowns, while the Cowboys have fallen from first in red zone conversion rate a season ago to 28th this campaign.”
The Cardinals’ 1-4 start to the season and their potential interest in top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams in next year’s draft would make Arizona one of the clear sellers at the October 31 trade deadline. As productive as Conner has been as a member of the Cardinals, they could unload the veteran back — who has one year left on his deal — for something in return while moving forward with the 24-year-old Emari Demercado as the starting back.
While the 28-year-old Conner has a lot of wear and tear on his body, he had been pretty durable for the Cardinals until his recent knee injury, missing just five games over the past three seasons. In Dallas, he wouldn’t serve as the lead back like he does with Arizona — he would be a short-yardage and goal-line back to help complement Pollard.
Cowboys Struggling Drastically in Red Zone With Tony Pollard
In 2021, Conner ranked second in the NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns and third in the league with 12 rushing touchdowns in 2018.
“Conner is not a superstar, but he has converted 29 touches inside the 5-yard line with the Cardinals into 16 touchdowns while playing behind a middling offensive line,” Barnwell wrote. “It’s a small sample, but that 55% conversion rate is better than the league average for running backs over that time, which is just over 40%.”
Further protecting the Cowboys in this possible deal due to Conner’s knee injury would be the conditional draft pick given up. In Barnwell’s proposal, the draft pick would be conditional.
“The Cowboys wouldn’t owe anything until Conner scores a touchdown in a Cowboys uniform, protecting them from scenarios in which he is unable to play at a meaningful level after his injury,” he wrote. “They would owe a sixth-round pick if Conner scores one touchdown, a fifth-round pick if he finds paydirt four times or a fourth-round selection if he scores six touchdowns and/or runs for 500 yards over the remainder of the season.”
According to red zone rushing stats from last season, Conner tied for ninth in the NFL in rushing touchdowns inside the 10-yard-line with six touchdowns, converting on six of his 15 attempts (40%). That’s obviously a much higher conversion rate than Pollard’s two touchdowns on 16 rushing attempts inside the 10-yard-line this season (12.5%). In fact, Pollard’s conversion rate is by far the worst among the top 20 players in terms of rushing attempts inside the 10-yard-line.
Acquiring Conner wouldn’t be a solution to all of the Cowboys’ problems. However, it could play a major role in improving Dallas’ woeful red zone offense.
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