The Dallas Cowboys missed the playoffs last season and that means Jerry Jones could shake things up and one option is a trade with Morris Claiborne for the right to pick Johnny Manziel in the draft in 2014 and making him the backup of Tony Romo and a possible future starter might be too enticing for the high-profile owner to pass up, as Manziel is a Texas boy and could be a huge star attraction for America's team.
The Cowboys went 8-8 last year and while they signed Brandon Weeden to a deal this offseason, it may not stop the team from checking out quarterbacks in the draft. While this would be a bit of a wild move and is likely impossible to pull off, the idea of trading Claiborne is not, as he has been solid since being a first round pick in 2012, but he has not quite lived up to those expectations yet and that means the Cowboys could look to deal him this year or next year.
The idea of a Claiborne trade was proposed by Field Yates on ESPN.com and he speculated that the Arizona Cardinals would actually be a good fit for a deal with the Cowboys. Yates writes that Dan Williams would fulfill a big need for the Cowboys and that is one way the deal could go down, or it also could include draft picks and the Cards may be willing to make that deal since they were ranked in the top five in rushing yards allowed per game and could live without Williams. Adding Claiborne to a secondary with his former LSU teammates Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu would be amazing and it also would provide insurance if Peterson decides to be tough in contract talks or leaves as a free agent after next season.
According to ESPN.com, one nugget to keep an eye on is the fifth year option on Claiborne's contract, which comes into play after this season and into 2016. The Cowboys have said they will keep Tyron Smith with his fifth year option and while that was an easy decision, Todd Archer at ESPN.com writes that Claiborne's is not so simple. The franchise tag on cornerbacks is already at $10.081 million for 2014 and it could be ever higher for next year and that means the Cowboys need to decide if Claiborne is worth paying that much money.
Last season the team ranked second to last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game and while that wasn't his entire fault, the team still wants him to perform better. The Cowboys moved up to get Mo back in 2012, trading their first and second round picks for him and he was taken sixth overall and he has just two picks over his first two seasons and last year he lost his job to Orlando Scandrick. That was partly due to injury, but not totally and with his starter status and health up in the air going forward, he could be a player that gets moved. The Cowboys have some big decisions to make in 2014 and they could have implications far beyond this season.
