If his phone rings, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he’ll pick it up but he’s not looking to make a trade before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
“It’ll have to come our way. I don’t want to preclude it in any way, but it always does,” he said during his weekly local radio show. “That’s not showing a lack of aggressiveness it’s just that’s where it starts. I like where we are with our personnel today. I’m not thinking in any way that we need to upgrade our roster.”
He’s the only one.
The perfect team doesn’t exist, and San Francisco beat Dallas, 42-10, a few weeks ago. The Cowboys are also the only team Arizona has beaten.
Injuries have made the Cowboys thin at linebacker and cornerback. Their offensive line is an injury away from disaster, and they could use help at receiver because Michael Gallup hasn’t produced the way the Cowboys expected him too. Gallup, who’s in the second year of a five-year, $62 million deal, has 18 catches for 204 yards. He’s yet to score a touchdown.
Potential deals for the Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys, who will face the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday in Dallas, could use a physical receiver such as Tennessee’s DeAndre Hopkins or a star like Las Vegas’ Davante Adams, who doesn’t carry a high price tag this year or next.
Jones implied he doesn’t want to make the first call, so he doesn’t lose leverage.
Understand, Jones has never been afraid to make a deal. He traded a sixth-round pick for defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins last year, and in 2018 he sent a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Amari Cooper.
“Your best chance to get it done is when it comes by you and you grab it,” Jones said. “That’s just generally speaking. To go out and push it, the odds of getting it done at the price that you would expect is dreaming.”
How Philadelphia Eagles improvements impact Cowboys
Philadelphia, which leads Dallas by 1.5 games in the standings, made an aggressive move this week by acquiring former two-time All-Pro Kevin Byard.
“It’s all about what I do now that I’m here. I’ve had a great career in Tennessee,” he told reporters, “but I’m in Philadelphia. I’m a Philadelphia Eagle now. And that’s what it’s more about moving forward, making plays to help this team win. This is my 8th season, but I’m feeling really good. Coming off a bye week, too. So definitely I’m feeling fresh right now.”
Philadelphia vice president Howie Roseman is always adding players. Last week, the Eagles signed former All-Pro receiver Julio Jones. He not only provides depth, but he’s also the kind of player who could make a play to win an important game late in the season or during the playoffs.
The Cowboys haven’t been to the NFC Championship Game since 1995, also the last time they played in the Super Bowl.
Only Washington and Detroit have longer streaks.
“I would really extend to improve our team right now, so that gives you an idea,” Jones said. “Because I think we have a team that’s a contender. Would I do something that would take away from this team so that it could help us in the future? Possibly not.”
Jean-Jacques Taylor is the NFL Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter. He’s the author of Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men.