Three Dallas Cowboys trade ideas to consider for Miami Dolphins CB Xavien Howard

What would it take to get Xavien Howard?

We are just talking here. Just talking out loud. That’s the whole foundation of coming up with trade ideas, right? You think about what you want, what you are willing to give up, and you try to meet somewhere in the middle together. It’s a tale as old as time. Truly a beauty and the beast sort of situation.

We have seen the Dallas Cowboys consider trades in recent years. Back in 2018 they very famously dealt for Amari Cooper, and before the 2019 season began they got Robert Quinn to wear a star on his helmet.

The latter of those two deals was with the Miami Dolphins who happen to have a player that reportedly is unhappy with his contract. We are talking about Xavien Howard who led the NFL in interceptions last season – coincidentally playing in the same defensive backfield as former Cowboys corner Byron Jones – so landing a player of this caliber would not exactly be a bad thing.

In considering potential trades for Howard we have to think about what we would be willing to give up to get him. Roy White did just that on the latest episode of Ryled Up on the Blogging The Boys podcast network. You can listen to the episode below, plus make sure to subscribe to the Blogging The Boys podcast network wherever you get your podcasts. Apple users can subscribe right here and those who use Spotify can subscribe right here.

Roy also discussed ESPN’s collective rankings of wide receivers and Amari Cooper’s omission from them, but right now we are talking about the All-Pro cornerback that Amari Cooper has had his way with in recent memory.

In order for the Cowboys to land Howard they would likely have to forfeit (per the reports) a first-round pick and also be willing to pay him a sizable contract. Howard’s contractual feelings at the moment likely stem from the fact that Byron Jones is paid more handsomely than he is, and given the fact that Dallas was unwilling to pay Jones it seems unlikely that they would be down to top what he got in addition to surrendering draft capital.

For the purposes of considering all options, though, here are the three hypothetical offers that Roy discussed in the episode:

1. First-round pick and a fourth-round pick
2. Michael Gallup and a third-round pick
3. Amari Cooper and a late-round pick

There is no question that Michael Gallup is among one of the more trade-able assets that the Cowboys have at the moment given his rising stock and the fact that he is entering a contract year. As we have discussed many times there is a possibility that the Cowboys decide to cut Amari Cooper next offseason (eating $6M in the process, a manageable amount) while electing to pay Gallup to pair with CeeDee Lamb for the foreseeable future.

While it seems logical to deal Gallup or Cooper in order to improve elsewhere (specifically at cornerback where the Cowboys were sniped during the 2021 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos ahead of them) it might not be practically possible for them to acquire Howard given that it would take a deal of this variety and a brand new contract for him.

Still though, anything is possible. The reports about interested teams detailed them as “win-now” squads and an argument can be made that the Cowboys fall into that category.

Would you trade for Xavien Howard? If so, what would you give up besides a monster contract?