As one reader points out today in the Fan Posts, the Dallas Cowboys reportedly turned down a trade offer from the Cincinnati Bengals for Dallas Cowboys Tight End, Martellus Bennett before Tuesday's trading deadline. Jerry Jones, who puts a no-trade premium on several of his younger talent, said:
"We had a significant offer for a key player that we turned down, and turned down in getting in more extended dialogue for," Jones said before Wednesday's practice. "So we did have that kind of activity . . . but I shouldn't name the player or the team. It was a very firm, significant offer for one of our young players that we had a chance for a lot of consideration if we had wanted to take it, and we didn't."
The context was generic because no player nor team was mentioned; however, speculation is now that the Bengals were the team and Martellus Bennett was the tight end. In the past two weeks, Bengals tight ends Daniel Coats and J.P. Foschi have been plenty ripped for dropped passes and fumbles -- both fumbles coming at critical junctures against the Texans.
A trade for a young tight end only begs the question, what about Chase Coffman? Bennett isn't some journeyman that would fill the gap until Coffman is ready. He's the type of tight end that would stick around for awhile, in the sense that Coffman would stick around for awhile. So the question is, was the trade proposal an indication of frustration of the tight ends playing now? Or was it an indication of poorly Coffman is developing?