Tuesday was the NFL trading deadline, and while there wasn’t a flurry of action as there tends to be in the other major sports leagues, there was a pretty significant move.

Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez was openly on the trading block, but unfortunately for him, he’s stuck in K.C. for at least the rest of the season. But, another premier pass-catcher did get a move from a loser to a contender, as the Dallas Cowboys finally filled their need for a top-notch #2 receiver by getting the other Roy Williams (and a 7th round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft) from the Detroit Lions for three 2009 draft picks, a first, a third, and a sixth rounder.

It was a move that had to happen sooner or later for both sides. Just as Williams had been linked with a trade for several months, the Cowboys were linked with a move for a big-name receiver as well. And with Calvin Johnson emerging as the #1 receiver in the Motor City, and Dallas in need of adding another offensive weapon, the time was right.

Getting a former Pro Bowler and another physical, athletic target to line up across from the one that they already have is about as good as Dallas could have done at the deadline, and it’s some welcome good news for Cowboys fans off the heels of some big losses. Sunday’s 30-24 overtime loss at Arizona saw Tony Romo (broken pinkie) and Felix Jones both receive injuries that will put them out for the next few weeks. On top of that, Adam Jones has gone and gotten himself indefinitely suspended again.

The big question about this move, of course, is whether two #1 receivers can co-exist. Many would like to see this situation blow up in the Cowboys’ faces, but that‘s wishful thinking.

It wouldn’t make any sense for Williams to make this move – and sign a five-year deal – if he wasn’t going to be happy about being the #2, because it doesn’t take rocket science to know that Terrell Owens is the #1 guy, and that’s not changing unless he gets hurt.

Besides, it’s a lot easier to be the #2 guy on a contender and playing in an offense that will allow you to get more than enough opportunities rather than watching your team lose game after game.

As for T.O.? This certainly helps him out, because it takes the defensive focus off of him, and those opportunities that he’s been wishing for will start coming his way.

Not only is it a move for right now, but it’s also one for the future. You’d have to imagine that T.O.’s got only a few more years left, and Williams is still only 26 (he’ll be 27 in December), so that five-year extension that he already signed with Dallas could be a good investment if everything goes well. Though this is already his fifth season in the league, he’s got plenty of good years ahead of him if he stays happy and healthy.

The only real foreseeable problem for the Cowboys is in the jersey department, with Roy E. Williams now in their ranks with Roy L. Williams. Then again, there might not be a need to mass print new jerseys, if Roy L. Williams leaves Dallas after this season.

You won’t see the full potential of the offense until Romo returns and gets back into the groove, but if you’re a Cowboys fan, your confidence in the offense doing well with Brad Johnson has to be helped at least a little with the knowledge that even though his 40-year old arm can’t throw it 60 yards downfield, when he does throw it, he won’t be starved for options.

Is trading away three picks, including a first and a third rounder, too much? Tough to say, but those draft picks might be more beneficial to a team that has a lot of needs. Dallas does have a few (offensive line, most notably), but they filled one that they might have filled with their first pick in April with this trade with a proven commodity.

Speaking of needs, I’ve spent most of this post talking about the positives of the move for Dallas, but Detroit benefits greatly from this trade too, if they so choose to. With what will likely be a top-five pick (and maybe the #1 pick) and a second first-round pick, the Lions are in position to be able to really address some of their several needs.

Do you think the Lions and Cowboys made the right move? Who do you think will come out better in the end? Do you think T.O. and his new teammate will run into any problems at some point?