By Jordan Grim • Nov 04, 2025 • 05:36 AM (PDT)
By Jordan Grim • Nov 04, 2025 • 05:36 AM (PDT)
Arlington, Texas – Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones never envisioned his team being in this position after nine games, with a 3-5-1 record following Monday’s 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but he was somewhat realistic after the game.
Jones said, “We’ve managed to win three games to reach this stage.” “So, I know how to add. I mean, I’m not being facetious, but I can add it up and see how many games we have left and what potential combinations of records can get you in the playoffs. We know all that very well.”
The Cowboys currently hold second place in the NFC East, trailing the Philadelphia Eagles by three and a half games. They are currently 11th in the conference standings, behind two teams that have already beaten Dallas, the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, while only ahead of the Cardinals because of their Week 4 tie with the Green Bay Packers.
After the Cowboys play the Las Vegas Raiders on November 17, following their bye week, their next five opponents — Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers — have a combined record of 26-16.
The games against the Eagles, Chiefs, and Lions will all be within a 12-day span.
“It’s crucial to win every game going forward,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “You mention that, and it’s something you genuinely sense in the NFL — as you should,” he said. But when you find yourself in a situation like we are, or behind like we are, it becomes even more critical. …There are so many games to play, you can get on a roll and get back in contention. That’s great. But you have to get on a roll, and if you don’t get on a roll, you’re putting yourself in an even more difficult situation, so it’s now or never.”
Jones’ first order of business is Tuesday’s trade deadline. Earlier Monday, he said on Stephen A. Smith’s show on Sirius XM that the Cowboys had a trade lined up. After the loss to the Cardinals, Jones framed it differently, saying there is a trade he could make. “When you’ve only won three games at this point, you realize you have a lot of work to do,” Jones said. “And I’m fully aware of that. And, yes, I agree with you. It’s an uphill battle. Can we get the kinds of things that we were hoping for? I certainly hoped we would have a few more wins in the win column before we took advantage of any opportunity to make roster changes. And so that’s still under consideration.”
The biggest area of concern is the defense, which has been weak since the start of the season. The Cowboys need players on the defensive line, at linebacker, and in the secondary, and they have spoken to several teams about players at various positions.
“There is one [trade] that I could make. No question, there is one that I could make. None have been [completed], but there is one that I could make,” Jones said. “And I’m considering making it.”
This deal may not be as big as the trade for wide receiver Amari Cooper with the Raiders in 2018, which turned the season around for the Cowboys. Jones responded, “I’d rather not comment on that.” That’s just the nature of everybody involved in the trade.” “But if there’s somebody that’s going to be active in the game, on the field, then anything is significant. So I don’t want to downplay the trade. But certainly, whatever a player was going to bring, whatever happened tonight, we need that player to bring that, regardless of what happened tonight. But is it prudent?”
As Jones grapples with the final steps of completing that trade—or multiple trades—coach Brian Schottenheimer is grappling with how to put it all together. And it’s not just limited to a struggling defense. In the last two games, the first-team offense has averaged 13.5 points. The Cardinals sacked Prescott five times, and the Cowboys turned the ball over three times.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Schottenheimer said. “I’ve challenged the guys. We’ve got to find solutions. We are where we are.” With eight games remaining, the Cowboys’ season is on the line, and one trade isn’t going to fix everything.
“You’ve got a lot to cover,” Jones said. “I’ll grant that to anybody. Can we get there with better play and fewer mistakes? Can we get there with that? Will we have some new players? We’ll have a chance to have some different players than we had in the first part of this season, either through trade or through players that are [returning from injury]. You guys have been hearing and reading about that for weeks.
“Parcells’ old quote, ‘You are what you are,’ is still true today. We’ve got to look at that, and you won’t be disappointed that I didn’t get carried away, didn’t get illogical, and didn’t do something that was totally like betting the farm on us winning the Super Bowl. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”