Cowboys Trade Pitch Lands 6-Foot-4, 244-Pound Former First Round QB From AFC South

With one week until NFL rosters cut down to 53 players, one thing all 32 teams understand is those 53 players aren’t necessarily all guys who are currently in the locker room.

For the Dallas Cowboys, there are more weaknesses than strengths when they look at their position groups — most notably at quarterback after backups Joe Milton and Will Grier have struggled in the preseason.

Heavy’s Max Dible proposed a trade that would shake up the NFL, with the Cowboys swapping a 2026 third round pick in exchange for Indianapolis Colts quarterback and former first round pick Anthony Richardson.

“Richardson is far more proven than Joe Milton III, whom Jerry Jones gave up a fifth-round pick to get,” Dible said. “The Cowboys also sent a fourth-rounder to the 49ers for Trey Lance, which didn’t work out. The third time, with a third-round pick, could prove the charm. Dallas is already spending $60 million a year on Dak Prescott and refuses to pay Micah Parsons what he deserves, so why not to take a swing on a high-upside talent like Richardson and his $8.5 million annual value?”

Colts Decided To Start Jones Over Richardson

Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, finds his career at a crossroads headed into just his third season after the Colts signed former first round pick Daniel Jones and named him the starter on August 19.

Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, went 24-44 in 6 seasons as the starting quarterback for the New York Giants but was released midway through the 2024 season and spent the second half of the year as the backup to Sam Darnold on the Minnesota Vikings.

“Nobody believes Daniel Jones is a worthy starter,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on August 19. “Now, Anthony Richardson’s NFL career might be in jeopardy.”

Richardson’s ‘Quitter’ Move Defines Career So Far

If Richardson’s career is truly in jeopardy, he has no one to blame but himself.

Trailing by 2 scores late in the third quarter of an eventual 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 7, the 6-foot-4, 244-pound Richardson took himself out of the game on 3rd-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Not because he was hurt, but because he was tired.

“I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson,” ESPN host and former Colts punter Pat McAfee wrote on his official X account. “The QB is your franchise. The message it sends is loud and influential.”

The blowback was fast and furious and led to Colts owner Shane Steichen eventually benching Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco.

“Anthony Richardson’s career was clearly over the minute he tapped out of that game last season,” X user Karan wrote on his official X account. “You just can’t recover from something like that.”

“Wow. Anthony Richardson is done now” Fantasy Football Analyst Tyler FF Creator wrote on his official X account. “This was his last chance to prove himself to the Colts. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Richardson is on another team by week 1.”