Mailbag: Trade a receiver for defensive help? – Mickey Spagnola & Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
Is the wide receiver room deep enough to consider trade for an area of need?
Since the wide receiver room has good depth, would it make sense to look at trading someone like Jalen Tolbert for a defensive tackle or cornerback? Is there any other position group deep enough to use in a swap? – Gene Rankin/Hedgesville, WV**
Mickey: Well, here is what happens as soon as you trade away depth. Someone gets hurt. And darn if your “deep” wide receiver room didn’t suffer an injury, Jonathan Mingo spraining a knee
in Saturday’s game (PCL) and likely will miss a couple of weeks, as more tests are being performed. BTW, if you think Tolbert is expendable, do you think you’re going to get dollar for dollar on a trade. And sure don’t see another position having excess to part with that will bring in a difference maker. Look at it this way, with Mingo’s availability at this point unknown, and if you trade away Tolbert, what happens if either CeeDee or GP go down with an injury? Who is the starting No. 2 receiver? Gives you pause doesn’t it.
Tommy: I wouldn’t be opposed to it assuming you get a day one contributor that doesn’t need a lot of ramp up time and has played in a scheme similar to what Matt Eberflus is going to run. This close to the season beginning, it would be silly to trade for someone just to throw them out there and have to have them adjust in real time instead of getting a player that’s already done similar things in training camp elsewhere. Defensive tackle and cornerback are the only two positions right now that I’d consider making a trade for, and I think the Cowboys are deep enough at positions like WR and EDGE to be able to entice a team into a trade.
Cowboys Linked to Last-Minute Move for Ex-$65 Million 5-Time Pro Bowler – Jonathan Adams, Heavy.com
If CB depth is a priority, Dallas should consider making a move.
The Dallas Cowboys face plenty of roster questions heading into Week 1, including a lack of depth in the secondary. One insider believes the Cowboys will consider making a late move for a veteran corner.
ESPN’s Todd Archer labels Stephon Gilmore and Kendall Fuller as potential late additions for Dallas. Star corner Trevon Diggs has an uncertain status heading into the team’s Week 1 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the Cowboys have their eyes open,” Archer wrote in an August 19, 2025, story titled, “Cowboys face concerns at QB2, LT, DT as preseason finale looms.” “A couple of names to consider: Kendall Fuller and Stephon Gilmore.
“The tricky part is the Cowboys expect Trevon Diggs (knee) back if not for the first game or two then maybe by the end of September. Shavon Revel is on a similar track with his recovery from knee surgery, but it would be asking a lot of the third-round pick to play a large role early without much practice.”
Potential Cowboys Target Stephon Gilmore Started 15 Games for the Vikings in 2024
Most recently, Gilmore started 15 games for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. The veteran remains unsigned with the NFL season just weeks away from kicking off. Gilmore started 17 contests for Dallas in 2023, providing the front office with plenty of familiarity.
Gilmore posted 56 tackles and an interception during his short stint with the Vikings last season. The veteran’s days of landing a five-year, $65 million contract like the one Gilmore inked with the New England Patriots in 2017 are over.
Gilmore signed a more team friendly one-year, $7 million contract with the Vikings in 2024. It is reasonable to think that the Cowboys could sign Gilmore for even less money given the corner remains unsigned.
Jaydon Blue comments on potential Cowboys debut in preseason finale vs. Falcons – Tyler Reed, Sports Illustrated
The rookie RB could see his first game action against Atlanta.
The Dallas Cowboys have one final game on their preseason slate. The team will welcome the Atlanta Falcons to AT&T Stadium on Friday night.
With one preseason game left, it will be the final time for many players to make a great impression with the coaching staff before roster cuts are made.
It’s also the last time for rookies to get a feel of the game before the start of the regular season. Sure, a regular season game has a different feeling, but it would be a nice confidence booster to already have some NFL action under your belt before the real schedule begins.
Cowboys rookie running back Jaydon Blue may get his first opportunity to take the field on Friday. Blue missed the first two games of the preseason with an ankle bruise. However, the former Texas star returned to practice on Tuesday in full pads.
When speaking with the media after Tuesday’s practice, Blue revealed he doesn’t see anything stopping him from taking the field on Friday.
The rookie running back is excited to finally show that he can do more than just run the football. In Blue’s own words, he wants to show that he brings more to the table for the Cowboys offense. Friday is going to be an exciting day for this fanbase.
Agent’s Take: Hold-in fatigue? Here are some options for teams to utilize when dealing with contract disputes – Joel Corry, CBS Sports
Here is how teams could manage “hold-in” situations.
Hendrickson became a hold-in, like Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, when he reported to Bengals training camp. The 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year runner-up has been adamant that he won’t play for the Bengals in 2025 under his current contract in which he is scheduled to make $16 million this season.
Parsons hasn’t practiced since reporting on time to Cowboys training camp. The 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is taking a page from Ramsey’s playbook. A “back issue” has kept Parsons from practicing. Parsons and Ramsey have the same agent. Both are represented by Athletes First’s David Mulugheta.
A hold-in only has a chance to be successful with a team’s cooperation. A team has plenty of tools at its disposal when unwilling to be a participant.
The first step would be a team sending the hold-in a letter that he is expected to fulfill all of his contractual obligations. Paragraph 2 (Employment And Services) in the NFL Player Contract could be cited. The most relevant portions of Paragraph 2 state:
“He (Player) agrees to give best efforts and loyalty to the Club. … Player will report promptly for and participate fully in Club’s official mandatory minicamp(s), official preseason training camp, all Club meetings and practice sessions, and all preseason, regular season and postseason football games scheduled for or by Club.”
The conduct the player engaged in that would be subject to discipline under Article 42 of the CBA, which covers club discipline, would be outlined in the letter. A specific schedule of participation expectations for the player where failure to comply would result in the team beginning to exercise its rights under the NFL Player Contract and the CBA, with the discipline a team could impose for various violations, would also be in writing.
