Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the sidelines before the game against the New York Giants. Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones teases trade for defensive playmaker

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 3:30 PM ET

Defense has been a problem for the Dallas Cowboys this season. That's not surprising given the fact they traded away their best defensive playmaker, Micah Parsons, ahead of Week 1.

In exchange for Parsons, the Cowboys landed defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. Clark has helped improve their run defense, but the Cowboys are still struggling to consistently pressure the quarterback.

That's why they signed Jadeveon Clowney, but he's not going to be enough to fix their entire defense. That's why Jerry Jones was asked on 105.3 The Fan if he would be willing to use some of their draft capital on fixing the defense this year.

"Absolutely. I’m open for business, period, relative now that we have those extra picks, and we should be."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on whether he would be open to trading draft capital acquired from the Micah Parsons trade for defensive help this season: “Absolutely. I’m open for business, period, relative now they we have those extra picks, and we should be.”
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 19, 2025

If Jones decided to look for help on defense, it would make sense to target secondary help. Their current unit couldn't stop Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson, allowing both to top 140 yards receiving while Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns.

That said, the positive part of trading Parsons was landing first-round picks to help build their roster with young talent. Using that to add another veteran, especially if it's one that needs to be paid a new contract soon, could be counterproductive.