The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. ET. The Cowboys are 3-5, two games out of the NFC's last playoff spot. They say they are buyers, not sellers.
Jerry Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan that "everything, everything, depends upon the deal," but that "at this particular time, I don't see anything."
The edge rusher hunt
Dallas ranks 31st in pass-rush win rate, according to ESPN's analytics, and an edge rusher is the reported priority. Jason La Canfora reported this week that Jones's top priority is adding one, "with Maxx Crosby, Khalil Mack, and Josh Sweat all potential targets," and that he expects Dallas to land one of them.
Each comes with a problem:
- Maxx Crosby (Raiders): Dallas went after him in March and was outbid by Baltimore, which then backed out of the deal. Crosby re-committed to Las Vegas, and ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported the Raiders have no plans to trade him.
- Khalil Mack (Chargers): Los Angeles wants to keep him. "I want Khalil Mack here," Jim Harbaugh said Monday. "Khalil Mack wants to be here. He's one of the pillars of our team."
- Josh Sweat (Cardinals): He is open to a trade, but Jordan Schultz reports the asking price "is believed to be high," and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler hears Sweat wants a new contract, which could be a hurdle.
There is also a question of whether one player would be enough. ESPN's Todd Archer reports Jones questioned whether a pass rusher would change the defense enough to matter.
The draft pick problem
Dallas has only four picks in the 2027 draft, per ESPN. The Cowboys already traded their 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder to Pittsburgh for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. at the start of October, and that leaves little to offer for a high-priced player.
Who could go
Don't expect a fire sale. "I just don't see Dallas moving key players at this point," Fowler wrote. The name he hears most is tight end Luke Schoonmaker, the No. 3 tight end, because teams want blocking tight ends.
The bigger question is George Pickens. Archer notes that Dallas has to decide whether Pickens is part of its future, and whether to cash in now or wait for a possible 2028 compensatory pick if he leaves in free agency. Pickens has 39 catches for 533 yards and two touchdowns this season, and Jones said this week the team can do a better job getting him the ball.
Dallas plays at Indianapolis on Sunday, two days before the deadline.