Trades have been more common than usual for the Dallas Cowboys this year. They’ve acquired CB Kaiir Elam, LB Kenneth Murray, QB Joe Milton and WR George Pickens via trade. They also made one of the biggest NFL trades in recent memory by sending Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.

Why not make one or two more before the league’s Nov. 4 trade deadline?

The Cowboys certainly have the ammunition after gaining two first-round picks in the Parsons trade. They also have plenty of salary-cap space, roughly $30 million, according to Over The Cap.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was en route to league meetings in New York on Tuesday when he said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that he could “very easily” have discussions with other team owners at those meetings about potential trades.

“If there were a trade, it will be because it fits us,” Jones said. “And to fit, there’s got to be a reason why the player would leave that we’re interested in going forward with. And it would have to fit us in terms of our plans on our roster, the financial and everything that goes with that.

“Just because we played well, all of a sudden everybody thinks, boy, you’re in the hunt, so it’s time to go out and gather up all of this talent that’s waiting around out here on the trees to add to it now that we feel good that we can be more competitive. That’s not realistic. What’s realistic is that if we do see an opportunity, we are in as good a shape as we’ve been in in years with (draft) picks, with financial with our (salary) cap, we’re in as good of shape as we’ve ever been if we see a way to improve our team with a player that makes sense today, this year, next year to entertain it and look at it.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the impact of today’s win on potentially making moves before the trade deadline pic.twitter.com/XedniTk98G

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 19, 2025

The Cowboys’ most notable move near the trade deadline over the last 15 years came in 2018 when they sent the Raiders a first-round pick in exchange for Pro Bowl WR Amari Cooper. The following year, they traded a sixth-round pick to the Patriots for DE Michael Bennett. In 2022, they traded a sixth-round pick to the Raiders for DT Johnathan Hankins and a seventh-round pick. Last year, they sent a fourth-round pick to the Panthers for WR Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round pick.

“We’re never not serious every day about making our team better,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said last Thursday on 94.1 San Antonio Sports Star. “The trade deadline is the trade deadline. Until that point, you’re always looking for ways to improve yourself and you can do that up until the trade deadline. We’re always very serious about looking at any way to make our team better.”

“We’ll always look at everything,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday. “You know that. I think Jerry and Stephen and (vice president of player personnel Will McClay), I mean, they’re always open for business. You know, this time of year you kind of let those guys focus on it because we’re so busy game planning and all that stuff.”

It’s not difficult to see where Dallas could use upgrades. Through seven weeks, no team is allowing more yards than the Cowboys’ 402 per game. No NFC team is allowing more points than Dallas’ 29.4 per game. The Cowboys have the NFL’s worst pass defense and third-worst run defense. Some positive steps were taken during their 44-22 win Sunday over Washington, but nothing that should prevent the Cowboys from looking for defensive upgrades.

Here are six potential trade candidates who would make sense.

Could Dallas make the Raiders an offer for Maxx Crosby too good to not consider? (Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)

Maxx Crosby, DE, Raiders

This would certainly be the biggest move Dallas could make. Jerry Jones seems to have a good relationship with Raiders owner Mark Davis. They’ve done notable deals before. If the 2-5 Raiders have any interest in moving their 28-year-old star pass rusher — and signs point to them holding on to him — the Cowboys would make a lot of sense. It’s far more likely that the Raiders keep Crosby, but if they want to get a first-round pick and more in return, why not send him out of the conference? Crosby signed a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension in March.

Trey Hendrickson, DE, Bengals

Another outstanding edge rusher who would instantly upgrade Dallas’ defense. The 30-year-old is playing under a one-year, $29 million contract. Depending on what would be given up in a trade, an extension might have to be part of the deal. Hendrickson has basically been a sack-per-game player the last three seasons. He totaled 17.5 in each of the previous two seasons. He has four sacks and eight QB hits in six games this season.

Jeffery Simmons, DT, Titans

One of the NFL’s top interior defensive linemen is on one of the league’s worst teams. The 28-year-old signed a four-year, $94 million contract extension two years ago. Simmons has the fifth-highest Pro Football Focus grade for interior defensive linemen this season. Solomon Thomas has the highest grade of any Cowboys player in the category at 46th. Simmons, a three-time Pro Bowler, has 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and 11 QB hits in seven games this season.

Demario Davis, LB, Saints

Davis is ranked 15th among linebackers by PFF. The Cowboys don’t have a linebacker in the top 50. DeMarvion Overshown is on track to return after Dallas’ Week 10 bye. As long as he is healthy, Overshown will instantly upgrade the defense. But he needs help. Davis, 36, is tied for eighth in the NFL in tackles and has five tackles for loss and a forced fumble. The Saints are 1-6 and Davis will become a free agent after the season. The cost shouldn’t be significant.

Bradley Chubb, DE, Dolphins

The 29-year-old has four sacks through seven games this year. He’s two years removed from an 11-sack season. He has two years remaining on a contract that pays him around $19 million per year.

Jermaine Johnson, DE, Jets

The 26th pick of the 2022 draft was a Pro Bowler in 2023. An Achilles injury caused him to miss almost all of last season. The biggest reason he could make some sense for Dallas is that Cowboys defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton was Johnson’s defensive line coach for his first three years in New York.