The Cowboys' brilliant trade idea sees Trey Lance working with his former coach again

The NFL trade deadline will be here before we know it, and hopefully the Dallas Cowboys will be there. Although Rico Dowdle looked like an RB1 at nose tackle and wide receiver in Week 5, the Cowboys' front office has already had to work the phones because of his need for a running back.

Of course, the deadline is longer than just finding talent. It's a great opportunity for teams like Dallas to offload expendable players.

The Cowboys have plenty of depth at safety, but it would be short-sighted to trade Juanyeh Thomas or Markquese Bell with veterans Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker potentially playing their final season with the team.

That brings us to the quarterback position. Despite playing the most snaps of any QB in the preseason, Trey Lance failed to beat out Cooper Rush for the backup job. As Dallas' emergency quarterback on the third line, he has been inactive in every game so far.

It would be best for both parties if Lance found a new home. A recent trade suggestion from Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports gives food for thought.

With the Nov. 5 deadline just weeks away, Benjamin considered a trade that all 32 teams could complete before the deadline. Benjamin circled the Miami Dolphins as a team that should make a move for Lance.

“Tua Tagovailoa may be returning, but it feels irresponsible to trust him to stay upright and/or safe,” Benjamin writes. “Coach Mike McDaniel was with the San Francisco 49ers when the dynamic but raw Lance was drafted high.”

The logic makes sense. Tua Tagovailoa can return from injured reserve in a few weeks. He then has a 21-day practice window to be activated, otherwise he will go on IR for the remainder of the season. Although Tagovailoa has no intention of retiring, it remains a mystery whether he will play again this year.

The Dolphins' offense has been a disaster since Tagovailoa's injury. Between Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley, their QB play was unremarkable. Star wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were neutered. At one point, Miami went nine straight quarters without scoring a touchdown. They scored a total of 30 points in the three games Tagovailoa missed.

That's not to say Lance would be much (or at all) better than Thompson and Huntley, but the Dolphins need to give someone else a chance before their season spirals out of control. Lance knows McDaniel from their time in San Francisco and he would give the Dolphins head coach an ace up his sleeve if Tagovailoa were to get injured again or potentially retire.

The elephant in the room, however, is Lance's expiring contract. The Dolphins would have to forgo draft capital — likely a third-day pick — and commit to him via a new deal. They wouldn't trade for him just to lose him in the offseason.

At this point, Cowboys fans are ready to part ways with Lance. With Dak Prescott under contract for the next four years, it makes no sense to keep Lance. The front office might as well call one of their former coaches to see if there's any interest.

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