Owner Jerry Jones cryptic on Cowboys plans before the trade deadline

Do you think the Cowboys should be buyers at the trade deadline?

To be or not to be? That is the question fans will ask about the Dallas Cowboys over the next week. It has nothing to do with Shakespearean literature but whether the team will be active before the NFL’s trade deadline on Oct. 31.

Luckily for people trying to find a solution to Dallas’ trade plans, owner Jerry Jones, also the acting general manager, has a weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan and was asked about potentially trading with other teams. Jones mentioned he would be willing to do business but wouldn’t be the one to initiate the conversations.

“It’ll have to come our way. I don’t want to preclude it in any way, but it always does,” Jones said. “You have a lot of machinations that you’re working with every day, I do, but the initiation of an opportunity to make a trade at this time that would help us, principally has to start on the other end. That’s not showing a lack of aggressiveness, it’s just that’s where it starts.

This might be different from what fans want to hear, but Jones believes in the roster the team has built this season. But in the same breath, because of the belief in his team contending in 2023, Jones will be willing to make a move, capturing the here and now if it helps improve the team.

Jones said of his team, “I like where we are with our personnel today. I’m not thinking in any way that we need to upgrade our roster.” That being said, Jones added that, “I would really extend to improve our team right now. … Because I think we have a team that is a contender. So, I would do it right now.”

See what I mean by the cryptic messaging?

There’s no questioning the Cowboys could improve in some areas just due to injuries. The linebacker position is thin with Leighton Vander Esch on injured reserve, and cornerback is in a similar situation with Trevon Diggs out for the season with a torn ACL.

However, just waiting for teams to come to the Cowboys looking to trade players off their roster doesn’t seem like the logical business practice either.

That’s why there’s a middle ground the Cowboys could find themselves in. Last year, they were active around the deadline, even though they only made one move to acquire Johnathan Hankins from the Las Vegas Raiders. There were also reports the Cowboys tried to trade for Brandin Cooks but could not get the Houston Texans to take on a large portion of his contract.

The bottom line is if there is a glaring need for Dallas coming out of their weekend matchup against the Rams, it could pressure Jones to make a move, as we saw with wide receiver in 2022 trying to trade for Cooks.

Don’t lose hope if the Cowboys don’t get a deal at the deadline either. Some veteran players are available on the street or on other teams’ practice squads that Dallas could sign as they did with T.Y. Hilton. They signed Rashaan Evans to their practice squad, so if he gets on the field this weekend against Los Angeles and impresses, he checks a box they won’t need to trade for.

Another thing to remember is that the Cowboys have limited draft capital for the 2024 draft to trade with after giving a sixth-round pick to Houston in the trade for Cooks and giving up a fourth-round pick for Trey Lance.