The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football , and injuries are continuing to pile up. Dez Bryant and Tony Romo are out for a while longer, and other injuries are happening each week. Now, the Cowboys may need to take drastic measures before the season is a loss, and trading for Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery of the Chicago Bears is a possibility.
On Sunday, the Bears got their first win of the season, but barely got past the Oakland Raiders 22-20, so a big change for them isn’t out of the question, either. Still, would the team be willing to trade away their star running back and wide receiver? It’s possible, but the price is going to be high.
CBS Sports is already saying that dealing away running back Matt Forte is something that could happen, but it would have to be for the right price. With all that has gone on in the past couple of seasons between the 30-year-old Forte and the Bears, the team won’t just let him walk, per a source.
“They’re not just going to give him away. There has to be value in the trade. It won’t just be a salary dump.”
With that being said, the Bears aren’t calling this season a loss just yet, despite starting out at 1-3. They want to be successful now, and want players that are good and talented and will help them succeed now while at a lower price.
Last week, the Bears traded away Jared Allen to Carolina and Jon Bostic to the New England Patriots, so the purge has started. Fans of the Bears needed to realize that changes are coming, and the two deals last week only got them two sixth-round draft picks. More will indeed be required for a team to land Forte or Jeffery.
According to the Latino Post , the Dallas Cowboys are certainly one of the teams that could look at landing one or both of the Bears’ key offensive players. The trigger was never pulled on the offseason trade for Adrian Peterson, but this is one that could end up happening if Jerry Jones is willing to part with enough talent.
Dez Bryant ‘s loss on offense is obviously hurting the passing game, but matters weren’t made easier when Tony Romo was lost as well. Alshon Jeffery could give Bradon Weeden (or Tim Tebow ) that big and talented target that is currently missing from the Cowboys’ offense.
Apparently, the Cowboys have already “shown interest’ in acquiring Forte, and that should come as no surprise considering Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, and Lance Dunbar simply aren’t cutting it as running back by committee. Add on that Dunbar may be lost for the season, and that just adds to their woes.
Cowboys fear Lance Dunbar tore his left ACL and MCL on opening kickoff of the second half. Dunbar will have an MRI on Monday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 5, 2015
While Forte is scheduled to make a base salary of $7 million this season, he becomes an unrestricted free agent after 2015. The Bears don’t want him to walk with nothing in return, and that’s likely to happen. Jeffery also becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season, and he’s making just $960,000 this year.
If the Cowboys can land Jeffery, he would pair up nicely with Dez Bryant once the Cowboys star receiver is back from injury.
Anything is possible to happen before the NFL trading deadline, but the Dallas Cowboys do need to do something. Injuries are doing nothing but piling up without getting better, and they’re running out of stars. Making a trade with the Chicago Bears for Matt Forte and/or Alshon Jeffery may be high-priced, but it may also be necessary.
[Image via Getty Images – Jeff Gross / Jonathan Daniel / Ronald Martinez]