Just one year ago today, the Dallas Cowboys shocked the world by moving part of their draft capital in the Micah Parsons trade for Quinnen Williams. A year later, Williams is signed to be in Dallas long-term and be a building block for the defense moving forward.
The Cowboys didn’t have the same championship expectations a year ago as they did entering 2026, and have severely disappointed with a 3-5 record through eight games. Could the Cowboys be buyers looking to capture whatever potential they have left
to make the postseason, or could they deal a couple of players to restock on draft capital?
Here is the latest buzz around the Cowboys with the deadline approaching next week:
George Pickens should remain a Cowboy for 2026
Notice the wording of the headline. The expectation is that George Pickens will stay in Dallas for the rest of 2026. Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN both get the sense that keeping Pickens in-house this year is something both parties want.
Graziano: Staying in the NFC East, teams are wondering if the Cowboys would consider trading WR George Pickens if they suffer another loss this week and fall to 3-6. I do not get the sense that Dallas would consider such a move, but if it isn’t planning to sign Pickens to an extension next offseason, it would make sense to at least take the call.
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Fowler: As Dan mentioned, Pickens’ name has circulated as a potential trade target in recent weeks as a result of Dallas’ 3-5 record, his 2027 free agency and the difficulty of keeping two high-profile receivers on the books. Pickens had four targets in Sunday’s loss to Arizona, fewer than backup tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. But I’ve also been told Pickens remains content in Dallas and doesn’t want to be moved, nor does Dallas plan to trade him.
Pickens, despite a decrease in production from a year ago (39-533-2 through eight games), still draws heavy coverage as a vertical threat and should eventually be in line for a deal in the Zay Flowers or Drake London range (around $35 million per year).
The Cowboys have the star power to be a top-five offense in the NFL. They’ve fallen hard over the last few weeks, shifting between a run-first offense and a pass-first offense. On Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, Pickens’ involvement hit a new low when tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford had more targets than he did.
So where do things stand for 2027? That remains to be seen, but the Cowboys have a big decision to make between two former Pittsburgh Steelers. No, not Broderick Jones, although it would be very Cowboys-like to sign him to an extension first. It’s between Joey Porter Jr. and Pickens.
The feeling is that Dallas could apply the franchise tag on the wide receiver and then trade him before the draft. That’s a long way from the front office doing that, but for now, expect Pickens to see this year out with the Cowboys, hoping he can help them turn the corner to the playoffs in 2026.
Surprise trade candidate for Dallas?
The Cowboys still believe they have the pieces to be a playoff contender, and Jerry Jones was adamant in his Tuesday interview on 105.3 The Fan show, Shan & RJ, that he is not looking to be a seller at the trade deadline. So, could Dallas deal any of their players, and would anyone draw interest from other teams?
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN mentioned one name that could be a trade candidate for Dallas—tight end Luke Schoonmaker. Yes, you read that correctly. There is some logic to Schoonmaker being a name to watch.
The NFL is big on 13 personnel right now, where blocking tight ends are all the rage. Fowler mentions that teams are hunting for blocking tight ends. The Los Angeles Rams come to mind as a team that could be interested, considering they had to put Terrance Ferguson on injured reserve.
Schoonmaker has fallen to No. 3 on the tight end depth chart and is still a young player on an expiring contract. All benchmarks teams look for at this point in the year. That could net a very late-round draft pick for someone to take a flyer on a rental for a half season. He could still have some fans out there who liked him coming out of Michigan.
The likelihood of it happening could be low, but as Fowler mentions, “I just don’t see Dallas moving key players at this point.”
