It’s the end of March in the NFL and if you’re a fan of any team–certainly a fan of the Dallas Cowboys–you’d like to be able to cling to the notion that something magical could happen in the weeks between the drying up of top free agency talent and the onset of the draft, or the days thereafter. That’s what happened last year, after all, when the Cowboys ended their long quest for a true WR2 by trading for George Pickens.
Certainly, a trade for a big-time pass-rusher is going to be more difficult to pull off than the acquisition of Pickens, who was a pending free agent and had struggled to fit in with the Steelers. But the Cowboys were in the thick of the chase for Raiders star Maxx Crosby before he was ultimately dealt to the Ravens, a deal that was later rescinded. The possibility of Dallas re-igniting talks for Crosby has been much-discussed.
More recently, though, it has been Browns star Myles Garrett, arguably the best all-round player in football coming off a record-breaking season in which he recorded 23.0 sacks. The Browns tinkered with Garrett’s contract last week, changing some of his option bonus dates, sparking speculation that the team was setting up a potential Garrett trade.
Cowboys Still Need Defensive Help
That had Cowboys faithful intrigued, to say the least. A swing at Garrett would be a huge move for Dallas, which has added Rashan Gary but still needs to improve the defense in general and the pass-rush specifically. The fact that the Cowboys have two picks in the first round this year, with No. 12 and 20, and could offer up their first-rounder next year, too, seemed to make them a prime contender for a Garrett deal.
The big issue with the potential pursuit of Garrett: The Browns have given no indication they’re looking to trade their franchise’s biggest star and until there is a sense that he is on the market, the rest of the league is relegated to speculation on his future, and little more.
Browns GM: Myles Garrett ‘A Career Brown’
That was the message for the Cowboys, or any team, that might come calling on Garrett from Browns general manager Andrew Berry, who spoke with Cleveland reporters on Sunday from the NFL owners meetings.
“So, I think you guys know, as standard practice, I don’t comment on player contracts,” Berry said. “I guess probably the easiest thing to say is if, you know, if we wanted to trade Myles, we wouldn’t have needed to make a contract adjustment, so it doesn’t have anything to do with that. I understand the question and the interest but it’s just something we have always felt, not to comment on player contracts or contract management strategy.
“I’d say this: Myles is a career Brown. He is one of the faces of our organization. I think we’ve been very clear both past and present in terms of our feelings on that. I understand all the questions. I’ll be honest, I don’t really want to waste a ton more breath on the topic.”
