A Cowboys-Texans trade to prepare for the worse-case C.J. Stroud scenario

It would be such a shame if C.J. Stroud were to suffer a major injury in his second NFL season out of Ohio State. The Houston Texans should be one of the very best teams in the league next year. It wouldn't shock me if they got to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history. This is all contingent on the whole team improving around its up-and-coming superstar quarterback.

Of course, injuries happen, and there is nothing you can do about it. Or can you? Not really, but you can have a rainy day fund for when times get tough. One such player who I think could be a better backup for what the Texans are trying to do behind Stroud than even Davis Mills or Case Keenum is Trey Lance of the Dallas Cowboys. He is on the final year of his rookie deal and is firmly a backup.

Given that Lance was a former first-round pick makes this deal incredibly challenging, but here we go.

While Mills and fourth-round picks in back-to-back years get the APY to basically even, it may only take a fourth-round pick in addition to Mills going the other way to pull this off. This is because Lance is playing out the final year of his rookie deal as a first-round pick with the San Francisco 49ers worth slighly over $8.5 million. He is not worth that, but he is worth something. That is up for great debate.

If money wasn't such a divide in this trade scenario, what would actually be enough to get this done?

How Houston Texans trade for Dallas Cowboys QB Trey Lance

Truth be told, I don't think the Cowboys and Texans are the best trade partners in this. Lance's contract is a problem, and could be a reason why a deal never gets done. However, the franchise has had its eye on him for a while now, before and after Stroud was drafted. For that reason, I think he could be a better backup to Stroud than Mills, and even Keenum. Mills could play very well with Dallas.

And I think that is why the Cowboys might consider doing it. Dak Prescott is in the final year of his contract. So is Mills with the Texans. Unlike Prescott, Mills was a five-star quarterback coming out of high school. He has gotten lost in the shuffle a bit, but the guy can really spin it. I think he is the perfect stop-gap starter this league never gets enough of, especially if Prescott were to walk away.

The other option besides spending upwards of $60 million annually on Prescott would be to go with either Lance or Cooper Rush going forward. Rush is like Mills in that he is a fine stop-gap, but probably a bit more unproven in some capacities. For Lance, he is a true backup, one that fits Stroud's skill set better than an aging Keenum, as well as Mills, who is ready for a new opportunity.

For my money, Mills and a fourth-to-seventh-round pick is enough to get a deal down with Dallas.