Cowboys discussion: Solving the red zone issues either by trade, or internal options

The talk of the media since Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals has been the lackluster red zone offense of the Dallas Cowboys. The team has been able to move the ball down the field efficiently, however, they have consistently stalled inside the opposing team’s 20-yard line.

The Cowboys have not been able to get the production that they were looking for from TEs Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker in the first three weeks, The front office’s confidence in Ferguson was a big reason the team was okay with letting former Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz go to the Houston Texans in free agency.

It is apparent that Prescott is missing his former go-to red zone target. Schultz caught 17 touchdowns for the Cowboys from 2020-22, scoring eight of them in the 2021 season. While it is early, and the Cowboys shouldn’t feel panicked about the production from the position, there has inevitably been talk about the Cowboys making some kind of trade. One media show went a little further and actually threw out the name of Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts.

As noted above, the Falcons are not interested in trading Kyle Pitts. They are currently trying to build something in Atlanta and Pitts is surely a part of that future.

Pitts had been linked with the Cowboys before. Heading into the 2021 draft, there was a lot of talk about the Cowboys having interest in Pitts, coming out from the Florida Gators’ program. Pitts was touted as one of the best tight end prospect in decades, as scouts across the league marveled at his 6’6” frame and his freakish talent at the position.

Team owner Jerry Jones shared this same infatuation, praising Pitts in his pre-draft meeting with the prospect.

“I’m excited to have you come into this league, and man, what a pair up we could do with ol’ Dak Prescott and some of these guys that we’ve got out there with options to get you the ball. So we can dream of visions of sugar plums around here,”

Pitts ended up going ahead of the Cowboys in the 2021 draft, with the Atlanta Falcons selecting him at pick four.

The idea of Pitts ending up in Dallas isn’t very realistic at all. First, as already mentioned, the Falcons are not interested in trading away their top pick from just a few drafts ago. Even if they had ideas of trading him, they would likely be asking for a lot in return, and with his current production, the squeeze may not be worth juice for many teams. Additionally, any team trading for him would be looking at giving him a new contract in a short period of time.

But, if not Pitts, are the Cowboys currently in a spot where they need to be looking outside the organization for help? Specifically red zone help? That’s definitely a question that’s been going around.

One school of thought is that the Cowboys haven’t utilized their current weapons well enough and that’s where they should go first. Right here at BTB, we have posted articles with the idea that involving KaVontae Turpin or Deuce Vaughn in the red zone might be a solution.

There is also the thought that Jake Ferguson or Luke Schoonmaker could still develop into useful weapons in the red zone for Dallas. They just needs some more time in this new Texas Coast offense to settle in. I even suggested using Michael Gallup more with his ability to toe tap and high point balls in the end zone.

So what say you BTB? Would you be interested in adding some talent from outside the organization to supplement the firepower in the red zone, or should they be using internal options to greater effect in the red zone? Hit the comments and let us know.