The Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Carolina Panthers drops them to 2-3-1 six weeks into the 2025 NFL season. They’re in danger of falling to last in the NFC East in Week 7 with a game against divisional foe Washington.
But Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones still thinks his team is in the hunt for the division and a playoff spot. Washington’s loss to the Chicago Bears in the final game of Week 6 gave him some hope.
‘It just reminded me that we are still in it,’ Jones said today during an announcement that the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl will be played at the team’s practice facility – The Star – in Frisco, Texas. ‘I see so much parity, then you factor in that these teams get compromised with injury. We can have and may [have it too] but if we should have some good go of it here over the next weeks ahead with our injury situation and return of injury and we can get some wins.’
The Cowboys may be expecting two players back on what’s been a struggling defense so far in 2025. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown could be back after the team’s bye Nov. 9 after a serious knee injury last year. Rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. may make his debut in the next month or so as he finishes rehabilitation on a torn ACL suffered in college.
But what if Jones and company don’t wait for those two players to make their debut? Dallas is armed with extra draft picks thanks to the Micah Parsons trade – an extra first-round pick in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts – and more cap space.
Jones revealed the team is weighing their options ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline.
‘We will weigh what are the likelihood of the players we’ve got coming back, how will they impact where that will put this team as opposed to should we add a player in a trade?’ Jones said. ‘And I don’t have a trade in mind at all. And that comes about right now if someone is on the phone calling.’
Dallas could be active at the trade deadline. Here are six targets they should consider:
Dallas Cowboys trade targets
Edge Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans
Hunter’s been one of the best and most productive pass rushers in the league for a decade. He’ll turn 31 years old later this month but he’s shown no signs of slowing down with age. The Texas native has four sacks through five games this year and ranks eighth league-wide in sack percentage, per NFL Next Gen Stats. His pass-rush get-off time is 0.84 seconds which is also top-10 league-wide.
Dallas’ defense needs help against both the run and pass. Hunter’s the type of edge rusher who can assist in both areas. He’s on pace for career-highs in tackles for loss as well as sacks this season.
What may make this worth it for Houston is the long-term outlook for the franchise. They have contract extensions looming for franchise cornerstones Will Anderson Jr. and C.J. Stroud amid a 2-3 start to the 2025 season. Their playoff chances aren’t looking good and it’d be worth getting value for Hunter, who is only on the books through next season (with three void years tacked on to his contract).
CB Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
This one will definitely require one of those extra first-rounders. McDuffie’s been a top-10 cornerback in the NFL since 2023 and is arguably the best slot cornerback in the league. He’s spent more time outside for the Chiefs in 2024 and 2025 and is certainly usable in that alignment.
McDuffie is playing on the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract. Dallas already has two high-priced cornerbacks on the roster in DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs and adding McDuffie would make this the most expensive cornerback room in the league once he’s on his fifth-year option. But he’d also give the team a huge boost in coverage which it needs; Dallas ranks last in the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per pass allowed, per SumerSports.
Kansas City’s developed plenty of great cornerbacks over the years. They could bet on their infrastructure to develop another corner and/or use a first-rounder on a player at the position.
S Jessie Bates III, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta’s defense has turned things around in 2025 and it’s allowing more fans to understand just how good Bates is in the secondary. The 2023 second-team All-Pro is having a slightly down year by his high standards but is still one of the better safeties in the league.
That’d come in handy for Dallas. Their starting safeties, Juanyeh Thomas and Donovan Wilson, rank 58th and 70th league-wide among 83 qualifying players at their position, per Pro Football Focus (PFF) grading. It’d likely be less expensive than trading for a younger cornerback like McDuffie. And Bates, who is in his age-28 season, still has a couple more years left in his prime.
Bates is a standout run defender who is more than capable in coverage. He’s spent nearly equal amounts of time at the box and free safety positions in 2025, per PFF data, and would be a versatile piece to help in both phases. Plus, Atlanta could recoup a first-round pick after sending theirs in 2026 to the Los Angeles Rams.
DB Jalen Pitre, Houston Texans
Pitre offers youth like McDuffie and versatility like Bates. Though he’s listed as a safety, Pitre’s lined up in the slot for 172 snaps in 2025 compared to 71 everywhere else (defensive line, box safety, free safety, outside corner) combined, per PFF. He’s an absolute menace when he gets a head of steam in run defense and has grown into one of many hard-charging defenders for the Texans.
Like Hunter, Houston could look over the roster given how their season’s gone so far and look to find value if the right call came in. Pitre would likely stay in the slot primarily with Bland and Diggs on the outside much like he does with the Texans. He’s already on a relatively team-friendly deal through 2028 that sees his cap number stay at $13 million at most, per OverTheCap.
There is a question of availability, though. Pitre missed two games in 2023 and five in 2024. But when he’s on the field, he’s a force in the secondary.
WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
If the Cowboys would rather invest even more in the offense rather than help the defense, Waddle could make sense at wide receiver. George Pickens is absolutely balling out for the Cowboys’ offense this season as CeeDee Lamb sits with an injury, but is on the last year of his contract. He’ll likely command a lot of money in free agency next offseason and Dallas may not want to pay up.
Waddle is older than Pickens but currently on a deal that keeps him signed through 2028. Those later years do involve a higher cap hit: $33.83 million in 2027 and $37.21 million in 2028. But with how extensions league-wide are going in recent years, signing players sooner than later is a good call and Waddle’s deal could age well.
Tyreek Hill is out for the season and Waddle’s stepping into a bigger role. He’s a deep threat the Cowboys could use knowing they have him longer-term than Pickens. Miami may be facing a full rebuild this offseason and an extra first-round pick would certainly help that outlook.
Edge Montez Sweat, Chicago Bears
This would be a familiar face for Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who was the head coach in Chicago when the Bears traded for Sweat in 2023.
Sweat is performing well in 2025 as one of the better starters on defense for the Bears. He’s been a key contributor in both pass rush (13 pressures, per NFL Next Gen Stats) and run defense (seven ‘defensive stops’ per PFF). That’d be a welcome sight for the Cowboys up front and would ease pressure on the team’s younger talents at the edge to perform.
Sweat has a higher cap hit than others on this list at $25.09 million every year from 2025 to 2027. But that’s only going to look better in comparison to others at the position as the years go on.