The inclination to be aggressive at the trade deadline is going to balance on what happens over the next few weeks. Sitting at 2-3-1, Dallas has three chances to see if it can rally a beleaguered defense.
The two first-round draft picks netted in the Micah Parsons deal might not be burning a hole in the pocket of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, but he certainly hasn’t been shy about letting other NFL teams know that draft capital could be in play by the time the league’s trade deadline rolls around on Nov. 4.
Jones reiterated this week, as he has multiple times since the Parsons trade, that Dallas has the “ammo” to be a buyer in the market if the right deal presents itself. Speaking at a news conference about his Frisco practice stadium hosting the January East-West Shrine Bowl, Jones essentially sent the message that the phone line is open if someone wants to call. And multiple sources across the league told Yahoo Sports this week they believe Jones will be listening for a plus-sized talent — on the level of the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson or Tennessee Titans’ Jeffery Simmons — if Dallas is in the playoff hunt at the end of October.
“We have thought all along that if we see a way to improve this year with a trade at the deadline, then we’ll take advantage of it,” Jones told reporters this week. “That’s what we positioned for to start this year, was to have ammunition to do things if we have an opportunity … I don’t have a trade in mind right now at all. That comes about right now if someone is on the phone calling.”
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Translation? The Cowboys are going to be picky about it, but the phone is at the ready for any sellers who want to call.
Of course, the inclination to be more aggressive is going to balance on what happens over the next few weeks, too. Sitting at 2-3-1, Dallas has three games prior to the deadline against the Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. All will be opportunities to see if defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus can make the necessary tweaks to rally a defense that has been one of the worst in the NFL. And that now includes the run defense after former Cowboy Rico Dowdle absolutely wore out Dallas in a stunning 30-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers last weekend.
If Dallas can get to 5-3-1 after the next three games — or even 4-4-1 — the playoffs will still be within reach, particularly with players like wideout CeeDee Lamb and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown coming back to the active roster. Conversely, a 2-6-1 or 3-5-1 record after the next three would put Dallas on the brink of losing the season altogether, likely removing the motivation to make a pivotal deadline move.
One NFC personnel source noted that the impending free agency of Cowboys wideout George Pickens could end up being a motivating factor, too.
“That [Pickens acquisition in May] has really worked, but they need to push it now,” the source said. “It’s going to be hard to pay Pickens what he’ll command in [free agency]. Even if you set aside the personality risks [the Cowboys] would be so top heavy on offense if they paid him. It becomes the Bengals. That got one-dimensional really fast. I think the Pickens’ [negotiation] starts at the Tee Higgins extension, too. … I’m sure there’s an impulse to [maximize] Pickens while they have him for this run and then tackle the contract bridge at the [NFL scouting] combine [in February].”
In Lamb’s absence, Pickens has performed like a No. 1 receiver and caught attention across the league as a significant free-agent target. Even Jones has noted that Pickens has played above expectations the Cowboys had when they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason. This has raised the stakes on his extension horizon while making him a top receiver option at a time when he’s still only 24 years old.
“As you know, that [extension] even has a competition to it and the very aspect of it,” Jones told reporters this week. “He is doing more than we did expect or that we could’ve expected. And what’s really special is that he’s a real plus to have around the team. He’s a real plus around his teammates. He’s a great plus around those coaches, and those coaches really think highly of him.
“He’s not only doing it on the field, he’s doing it as a part of the team concept. That’s very important, and in his particular case it should be noted. But we’ll weigh that. We knew full well that if things really went like we want them to go, certainly we need to think about having some room available if we’re going to pay a second receiver at that level.”
The NFC personnel source noted that the Pickens price point factors at the deadline in two ways. On one hand, if the Cowboys commit to paying Pickens a Higgins-level deal ($115 million over four years), it could push Dallas to sit pat the deadline with the sensibility that it needs to use the draft capital to gain talent on cheap rookie contracts to balance out the salary cap issues a Pickens extension will create. Conversely, if Jones feels like Pickens is pricing himself out of an extension with Dallas, it creates space to acquire a veteran in a trade now to maximize the remaining games with Pickens while opening up space to retain that veteran beyond 2025, since Pickens will be let go in free agency.
As the personnel source put it, “It can come down to the conversation where it’s like, ‘Do we keep Pickens and all that comes with that, or do we go the other way for a guy at the deadline and keep him longer term, knowing that Pickens’ salary slot opens when he leaves after the season?’”
That conversation will also be shaped by the compensation. As it stands, league sources who spoke with Yahoo Sports put the trade value range of Hendrickson at a second-round pick ceiling, or a more reasonable basement of a third-rounder and another later pick in the fifth or sixth round. As for Simmons, it remains to be seen if he’s available, as the Titans have signaled privately that he’s still written into their long-term plans with an equitable deal (for now) that runs through the 2027 season.
Of course, teams also drive the best bargain for a player by suggesting he’s written into the big picture. That said, league sources have pinned a likely first-round pick-plus price tag on Simmons if any trade occurs. With the “plus” being either a mid-round pick or a serviceable starter alongside the first-rounder.
Unquestionably, either player would be a valuable addition for Dallas. Whether or not that value drives the Cowboys to make a move depends on what unfolds the next three weeks.
Category: General Sports
