The Cowboys’ 3-5 start has put Jerry Jones in a spot where sentiment and practicality may finally collide.
Dallas entered the year with big expectations, but the season has been defined by uneven play and a defense that has repeatedly lost its footing. The opening-night loss to the New York Giants set an uneasy tone, and an international defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro only deepened the early damage.
Christian Parker’s revamped 3-4 defense then cycled through too many bad nights, including an ugly prime-time loss to the winless Buccaneers. A Week 6 loss at Lambeau Field looked like it might bury the season, until Dallas briefly reignited things with a stunning demolition of the Philadelphia Eagles.
That momentum didn’t last, though, and the Week 8 loss to Arizona brought the same defensive issues right back to the surface.
With the deadline approaching, the Cowboys have to decide whether to keep pushing with the current group or start making moves that better fit the long view. Three names stand out as possible trade chips: Terence Steele, Jonathan Mingo and Luke Schoonmaker.
Steele is the most obvious of the bunch because offensive tackles always draw attention at the deadline. He’s been a steady, experienced presence on the line, but Dallas also appears to be building around other pieces.
Tyler Guyton and Tyler Booker are part of the future, and Tyler Smith’s versatility gives the Cowboys more room to shuffle things up front. If Dallas thinks it can handle life without Steele, there should be teams willing to call, especially clubs dealing with injuries at tackle.
He wouldn’t come cheap, either. A meaningful middle-round draft pick would be a fair place to start.
Mingo’s situation is different, but just as clear. He hasn’t carved out a consistent role in a crowded offense.
CeeDee Lamb is still the focal point of the passing game, George Pickens adds another big-play threat on the outside, and Ryan Flournoy’s rise has only made it tougher for Mingo to find real snaps. KaVontae Turpin also continues to have a role as a versatile offensive piece and returner.
That leaves Mingo on the outside looking in. A fresh start could help him, and Dallas could use the chance to open a roster spot while maybe landing a conditional late-round pick in return.
Schoonmaker fits a similar mold. The Cowboys have other tight end options in place, with Jake Ferguson established as Dak Prescott’s top target at the position and Brevyn Spann-Ford bringing more of an in-line blocking profile.
Schoonmaker still has the size, athleticism and receiving ability that could interest another team, but his role in Dallas has never fully taken off. For a contender looking for tight-end help, he could be worth a midseason swing.
Dallas should at least see whether a conditional late-round selection is on the table.
None of these moves would be a splashy reset. But that may be the point.
The Cowboys don’t necessarily need a headline-grabbing deadline. They need to be smart about where the roster is headed and honest about what this season has become.
Steele, Mingo and Schoonmaker each offer Dallas a different kind of trade value. Moving one, two or all three would give the team more flexibility and more ammunition to address its biggest problem: the defense. With the deadline looming, Jones has a chance to make decisions that look beyond the next week and toward something more sustainable.
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Prescotts contract is the reason this remains more theory than plan, since the financial fallout of replacing him would be steep and the roster would have to absorb the consequences. Even with the pressure building around the position, Dallas is staring at a reality where a clean break looks highly unlikely before 2027, which leaves the Cowboys balancing frustration, patience and the difficulty of finding a better answer at the most important spot on the field. [Read more 🡒]