A friend who's a huge Cowboys fan sent me this, he's losing his mind over them doing it. I told him it'll be known as the reverse Hershel if it goes down.
'BOYS TO MAKE A DEAL WITH THE FINS?
ESPN's Chris Mortensen suggested during a special edition of Sunday NFL Countdown that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is eyeing the possibility of swinging a trade with the Dolphins for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft.
Such a deal would allow the 'Boys to bag running back Darren McFadden, who played college football at Jones' alma mater of Arkansas.
Per Mort, any such deal would have to include the rights to Cowboys running back Marion Barber, who is slated to be a restricted free agent. To make it happen, the Cowboys would have to work out a sign-and-trade deal before Barber gets a chance to ink an offer sheet that would force the Cowboys to match the terms or let him go in exchange for compensation. Thus, the safest bet for the 'Boys would be to tender Barber at the highest possible level, which would force any team that signs him to give up a first-round pick and a third-round pick. Those extra picks then could be used to sweeten the pot for the top spot in the draft.
And it's clear that the Cowboys are going to have to find a way to enhance the two first-rounders that they can offer up for the No. 1 pick. Under the revised draft order, the Cowboys pick at No. 22 (from Cleveland) and at No. 28. Under the trade chart, the No. 22 overall pick is worth 780 points and the No. 28 selection is worth 660 points. The No. 1 selection has a value of 3,000 points; thus, the Cowboys would be a whopping 1,560 points short.
Though the trade chart arguably needs to be adjusted to reflect the fact that the enormous financial investment that is now required when using the top pick makes the prospects of a move up even more fraught with risk, the Fins could justify the 1,560-point gap by placing that value on Barber, who coupled with Ronnie Brown could give Miami a deadly one-two punch in the backfield.
Some readers think that the framework for a deal is already in place, and was part of the unspoken understanding that allowed the Dolphins to have their way with the Dallas front office and coaching staff. If that's true it wouldn't surprise us. Jones surely covets McFadden, and our guess is that he is willing to do whatever is necessary to get him.
