Less than two weeks from the 2026 NFL trade deadline, the Dallas Cowboys are shaping up as one of the teams worth watching closely. That’s nothing new when Jerry Jones is in the mix, but a slow start has only made the next stretch feel more significant.
Dallas broke a two-game losing streak on Monday night by taking care of the wounded Philadelphia Eagles in primetime. Now the Cowboys have a chance to pick up consecutive wins for the first time this season when they host the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium.
If that kind of momentum starts building, the pressure on Jones to pull off a deadline move figures to rise along with it. According to Cowboys insider Jane Slater of the NFL Network, that move is coming.
Slater discussed Dallas on the Not So Fast podcast with Paul Pabst and Andrew Perloff, and she sounded convinced that Jones is ready to act.
"Yes, I think they will. And I think that's because here's the one thing I'll say about Jerry.
You know, for the last couple of years, we said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same results. Well, this offseason, Jerry was very active, going out and getting you players," Slater said.
"Went out, got you the George Pickens.He got you Quinnen Williams. He got you Jalen Thompson.
He traded away guys that, at the time, they didn't think fit the scheme, like Osa Odighizuwa.
"I mean, I never thought I'd see Jerry bring in a young first-time [defensive coordinator] into Dallas. And then we're hearing him talk about bringing Troy Aikman in at some point, which I'm like, pigs are flying around here in Dallas.
Right. If you guys know the lore between those two.
Yeah. And so I think he just, at 84 years old, I think he truly is all in.
And I think he still sees disparity despite the two-game lead by the Giants. And I think he thinks that if he can just get that pass rush going, they had two sacks last night.
You know, it's like he had the interception from DeMarvion Overshown. The wheels are turning for Jerry.
And I think it will be impossible for him not to make a move."
That pass rush is still the glaring issue, even with some signs of life in the win over Philadelphia. A difference-making edge player could be enough to change the ceiling of Parker's defense.
Maxx Crosby was the big name attached to Dallas before the season, but more recently the conversation has shifted toward Arizona Cardinals star Josh Sweat as a possible target.
The Cowboys still have two games ahead that look very manageable against the Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts. If they enter the deadline on a three-game winning streak, Jones figures to be looking to make a splash.
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The problem is fitting that kind of swing into the Cowboys' current asset situation. Dallas has already thinned out its draft capital, which makes any major deal harder to pull off, even before a team starts asking for premium compensation for a proven front-line defender. If Jones wants to chase a big name, the desire is clearly there, but the path to getting it done is a lot less straightforward than the speculation makes it sound. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team that has spent plenty of time searching for the right balance in the middle of the field, the change was hard to miss. Dallas has been leaning more toward Spann-Ford in recent weeks, and the Eagles game suggested the Cowboys may finally be settling on a different formula at tight end, one that could reshape how this offense looks going forward. [Read more 🡒]