The trade deadline came. The trade deadline went. And the Dallas Cowboys stood pat.
I joined Mike Fisher of Fish @ 6 to look at that decision in Dallas and how it focuses the team’s future through the current roster. We also looked at the New York Giants and pondered if the Cowboys are the team to track them down for the NFC East crown.
Dallas has the talent to win the NFC East. The question is whether the Cowboys can get out of their own way, following a 4-5 start that has been frustrated by injuries, a struggling defense and some questionable game management from head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Elsewhere in the division, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders are already shifting some of their weight toward the 2027 season. That leaves the Cowboys as the Giants’ primary challenger down the stretch. New York has caught some green lights thus far, but the biggest question hanging over the franchise is what quarterback J.J. McCarthy will look like when he hits some major adversity. Does he revert to the Minnesota Vikings edition of himself, or will McCarthy showcase the strides he has made since getting traded in September?
Fish and I also spent some time mulling over how the Cowboys should be spending their money in this window. Declining to add another asset at the trade deadline preserves some cap room that can now be rolled into 2027, kickstarting efforts to get wideout George Pickens and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. inked to extensions. If the Cowboys see themselves in a Super Bowl window right now, both of those deals will be treated as the highest offseason priorities.
For now, Dallas has to find a way to claw back in the NFC East race, starting with a good measuring stick this week in the San Francisco 49ers. While we wouldn’t necessarily call it a must-win scenario, the Cowboys are definitely entering a must-win stretch of the next four weeks — which will feature games against the 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Eagles and Seattle Seahawks heading into a Week 14 bye.
Mike and I also got into Kirk Cousins’ return to the Minnesota Vikings and how the Giants’ very public trade stances are raising some eyebrows in opposing front offices.
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