Let’s recap the last two weeks for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Detroit Lions defeated them at home 47-9. Team owner Jerry Jones went from threatening to fire the hosts of the team’s flagship radio station one week to throwing away head coach Mike McCarthy’s offensive scheme the next. Quarterback Dak Prescott has continued to regress from his near-MVP form of 2023, with one of his worst back-to-back performances in years. A fully padded cornerback, Trevon Diggs, confronted a media member outside the locker room after Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, upset over a tweet questioning his play. Oh, and let’s not forget: Dallas just entered the toughest part of its schedule with another loss that appears to have left the team in a spiral.
If this isn’t a five-alarm fire crying out for reorganization, nothing is. And if Jones can’t see that, nothing will change.
This feels like 2018 all over again. That’s when the Cowboys were 3-4, coming off a loss to a mediocre Washington team and looking like they were on the verge of sinking into the abyss. Perhaps the only differences between 2018 and now are that Prescott actually played cleaner football six years ago, Jones wasn’t as tense as he is now, and the atmosphere around the team wasn’t as stifling as the current environment. The 2018 Cowboys were at least bold enough to understand when a big change was needed to save the season.
That’s where these Cowboys are now, back in that familiar trench of mediocrity, facing a season that threatens to drift away from them and needing to make a move that can get things back on track. In 2018, the response to that problem was aggressive and exciting. More importantly, it was actually fruitful: the acquisition of then-24-year-old wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Raiders, a star player in a funk who needed a change of scenery.
The memory of that moment has surely faded or become tainted in the minds of Cowboys fans. After all, Cooper was never able to help Dallas reach the Super Bowl. But those who remember him accurately know that his acquisition played a big role in the Cowboys’ push six years ago. Prescott desperately needed a weapon to help him turn a corner, and Cooper was precisely the piece that helped make that happen. The Cowboys (3-4) finished the season on a 7-2 run, winning the NFC East, then beating the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs, before falling to the Super Bowl-bound Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
Cooper was a big part of that, catching 53 passes in the Cowboys’ remaining nine regular-season games, accounting for 725 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He balanced the Dallas offense and energized the team when it most needed a shot of adrenaline. Yes, it came at the cost of a first-round pick, but that pick ended up 27th overall in 2019, and the Raiders used it on safety Johnathan Abram, who had his fifth-year option declined and never earned a second contract. with the franchise. That deal was worth the price for the Cowboys, especially given the quality of production Cooper had in Dallas, including being a major part of two playoff teams in his three and a half seasons with the team.
It’s an important snapshot in time because it more accurately reflects what’s happening in Dallas right now. Their defense is stagnant under the weight of injured playmakers, and their offense is completely unbalanced and one-dimensional, thanks to a skill-position basket by receiver CeeDee Lamb and a collection of loose pieces. In short, it is missing. He’s missing a veteran running back like Derrick Henry, who absolutely could have been signed if the Cowboys really wanted to pursue him in free agency. He’s missing a promising young receiver like Ladd McConkey or Keon Coleman, who were on the draft list when Dallas took offensive tackle Tyler Guyton with the 29th pick in 2024.
Above all, it lacks imagination and dimension. It’s a faded, sun-bleached, worn-out copy of Dallas’ 2023 offense that at least felt threatening and, at times, explosive.
You see a scenario where Jones has to do something. The natural inclination of the hobby is to subtract, which is understandable. Pangs of emotion scream to fire McCarthy or his coordinators. But that’s just talking about anger. The only real way out of this is add something. Maybe something big, but at least something that can help. It doesn’t matter which side of football we are talking about. There are major problems throughout the squad. Additional talent is needed. And the Nov. 5 trade deadline is approaching like a freight train.
Who could attract the Cowboys’ interest on the trade market?
So let’s start with a baseline. First of all, the Cowboys have draft capital to make some kind of move. Large, medium or small. They own all of their 2025 draft picks from rounds 1 through 6. They are also expected to get at least four compensatory picks in the fifth and sixth rounds, by virtue of losing talent in free agency and then responding by being a dead fish when These were off-season signings. As for cap space, there is more than $23 million available under this year’s cap for an acquisition. Yes, a large portion must extend to 2025 for future contract extensions. But there is enough to make some kind of move at the deadline. Maybe even a significant move.
So what’s available?
The trading market won’t really gain momentum until later this week. Here’s a limited snapshot of what’s available:
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The New England Patriots are ready to move linebacker Joshua Uche, who can be had for very little money. A fifth-round pick would seal the deal.
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The New York Jets have offensive line depth available, as well as cornerback DJ Reed, who is not in the plans for a contract extension this offseason.
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And the Carolina Panthers are taking calls on most of the roster aside from their core young players. But if a team is looking for a capable veteran, there is talent available. Receiver Diontae Johnson is one of them. Running back Miles Sanders is another. There’s also wide receiver Adam Thielen, who would have to return from injured reserve this week to be eligible for a trade. On defense, basically any healthy veteran player not named Jaycee Horn.
This is just a starting point. Some teams will be more motivated and aggressive this week, and next Monday and Tuesday morning (November 4 and 5) will be the shark festival.
Jones and the Cowboys have options to consider right now. And if they really want to be aggressive, maybe even aggressive with the first-round pick, like they did in 2018, there are surely some options on the table that won’t be apparent until a deal is completed. Much like Cooper’s trade to Dallas six years ago.
The time to get this back on track is now, when a path to the NFC East title is still imaginable. And before the NFC North starts beating itself in division play, which could open a path to a wild card playoff berth that doesn’t seem likely at this point. The next four games for Dallas are the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and Washington Commanders, four teams with a combined record of 22-9, with three currently in first place in their respective divisions and the fourth team (the Eagles) in second place.
This is the cornice. He’s here for Dallas. Just as it was in 2018. The only question is whether the Cowboys are willing to pay the price for another pair of wings, or content to continue this path to the precipice and the season’s oblivion.
