According to reports from insiders, the Dallas Cowboys had the chance to acquire quarterback Josh McCown from the Cleveland Browns through a trade. In exchange, the Cowboys were supposed to give away backup guard Ron Leary.
Even before the 2016 regular season kicked off, the Cowboys already encountered a major problem after Tony Romo suffered a serious injury during a preseason game. This incident then forced the Dallas organization to turn to backup QB Prescott to play in Romo place.
However, as noted by NFL insider Ian Rappaport, the Cowboys almost had an opportunity to sign a new quarterback following Romo's injury. According to the report, the Browns approached the Cowboys for a possible trade involving McCown. As part of the deal, the Cleveland franchise asked for Leary.
At first, the deal looked appealing because it would have provided the Cowboys a deeper quarterback bench even though Romo has been sidelined because of his injury. If Dallas pushed on with the deal, then their starting QB could have been McCown with Prescott as his backup.
But, for reasons unknown, the Cowboys turned down the trade deal with the Bears, which eventually became a very smart move by Dallas.
It was believed that the Cowboys reportedly rejected the deal because they wanted to stick with Prescott as their temporary starter. But aside from this, it seems the team was able to predict its need for Leary.
That's because during the Cowboys' Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears, starting guard La'el Collins suffered a foot injury which would require surgery. Although it is not yet clear how long he will be sidelined for, he is expected to miss up to 10 weeks because of his condition.
Aside from Collins, Tyron Smith might also miss a few games because of his back.
With Collins and Smith out, that means the Cowboys will have to turn to their backups for their upcoming games. This is where Leary comes in. He will most likely sit in for Collins and serve as the team's temporary guard.
The Cowboys also made a smart move by not trading for McCown because if they did, then that means Prescott would not have been their starter. And right now, Prescott is doing a pretty good job of leading the team.
