Jerry Jones: Any Future Trade Focused On Defensive Addition

“The best way for me to answer that is not timing wise, right on something this morning or this week,” Jones said (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) during his latest appearance on 105.3 The Fan. “But if you look at it generally speaking, we’re in play. And that’s the best way to describe it.”

Jones has been clear this offseason that he is willing to continue pursuing moves as the Cowboys aim to rebound from last season’s performance. As expected, defensive upgrades have been Dallas’ primary focus. The swing tackle role was recently addressed with the acquisition of former Steelers first-rounder Broderick Jones.

As a result, Jones specified that any in-season trade would be aimed at another defensive addition. Plenty of new faces are already in place on that side of the ball, and they will have first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker leading the way. Dallas is currently short on 2027 draft capital, but Jones added (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic) he does not see that as an impediment to making a win-now move.

As things stand, the Cowboys sit near the top of the league in spending power. With over $24MM in cap space, a trade worked out prior to the 2026 deadline could certainly be feasible, although Dallas could of course roll that figure over into next year with a number of financial priorities (including a potential George Pickens extension) to keep in mind. In any case, it will be interesting to see how much urgency Jones operates with as it pertains to further defensive moves as the season gets underway.