DALLAS — A Sports Illustrated columnist proposed trading Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for backup quarterback Joe Milton III.
Jason La Canfora published the proposal Thursday under the heading “Marlon Humphrey For Joe Milton,” one of two trades in a column on Baltimore’s roster ahead of cuts. La Canfora wrote that both were moves he would try to execute as general manager.
Jerry Jones has been talking about making trades since before training camp and has “major issues at corner,” La Canfora wrote. He wrote that Jones might be willing to absorb much of Humphrey’s base salary and use him outside, in the slot, or as another safety in big nickel alongside rookie Caleb Downs.
Jones said every other team in the league is working through the same two days before the deadline.
“These could be some critical days here as we look at our roster, look at all the other rosters,” Jones said. “Right now everybody around the league, the other 31 teams, are seeing if they can improve it. We’ll be looking at that very, very aggressively.”
Jones did not mention Humphrey or any player by name.
What Marlon Humphrey Would Cost
Humphrey is owed $19.25 million in 2026, the final year of the five-year, $97.5 million extension he signed on Oct. 1, 2020. That figure is a $15.25 million base salary plus a $4 million roster bonus, and his cap number is $26,276,000, according to Spotrac.
Baltimore drafted Humphrey 16th overall in 2017 out of Alabama, and he turned 30 in July. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro, in 2019 and again in 2024, when he intercepted 6 passes.
Humphrey played 15 games last season, with 4 interceptions and 13 passes defensed. Pro Football Focus charted him with 67 receptions allowed, more than any other cornerback. His 50.1 overall grade ranked 105th of 114 qualified cornerbacks. The coverage grade inside it, 43.8, ranked 112th. Quarterbacks who threw at him finished with a 90.9 passer rating. PFF put his run defense at 78.9, ninth at the position.
The Dallas Cowboys Secondary And The Quarterback Room
In April, Dallas sent the 12th pick and two fifth-round choices to the Miami Dolphins to move up a spot and take Downs 11th. Downs played 44 games at Alabama and Ohio State. He won the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award and the 2025 Lott Trophy, and he finished ninth in Heisman voting.
DaRon Bland, a 2023 first-team All-Pro, has dealt with foot injuries in each of the past two seasons. Dallas placed him on injured reserve on Dec. 20 and activated him on Feb. 15. He did not play Friday.
Milton finished 8-of-15 for 92 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions against the New Orleans Saints, and he is 21-of-28 for 286 yards and 3 touchdowns across two preseason games. Dallas acquired him from the New England Patriots in 2025 for a fifth-round pick, and he backed up Dak Prescott all season.
Sam Howell finished 12-of-18 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns on Friday, and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer called the competition neck and neck.
The Cowboys must be at 53 players by 5 p.m. CT on Sunday. Dallas opens the season against the New York Giants on Sept. 13 at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
