For all the talk we have heard about the Cowboys‘ approach at the upcoming NFL trade deadline, with the team weighing the potential addition of a key defensive piece to fix that leaking unit, or even with Jerry Jones saying that Dallas would be willing to part with some combination of first-round picks to improve the roster now, it would be a shock if Dallas went entirely in another direction next week.

Yes, far from acquiring the likes of Trey Hendrickson or Maxx Crosby—both of whom they inquired about, but were rejected, according to a report from Fox Sports–perhaps now would be the time for the Cowboys to actually be giving away players for further draft compensation, rather than adding stars.

That’s the push from veteran Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw amid the Cowboys’ wild 2025 season, which has seen this schizophrenic bunch land at 3-4-1 through eight weeks. Rather than adding at the deadline, Cowlishaw says it behooves the Cowboys to deal away offseason prize George Pickens while they can.

Cowboys ‘Need to Trade’ George Pickens

That would be a huge departure for a team that traded for Pickens from the Steelers and came away with a steal, giving away a third-round pick and a late pick swap for a guy who has matched CeeDee Lamb in his importance to the offense. Pickens has 43 catches through eight weeks, with 685 yards receiving and six touchdowns.

“Now the Cowboys need to trade him,” Cowlishaw writes.

The Cowboys brain trust of Jerry and Stephen Jones is delusional to think that what they’ve done on the field through the first half of the year represents a team primed for a playoff run, even with a mediocre schedule ahead of them. And they’ve be delusional, too, to think that giving Pickens a contract when he hits free agency next year is wise, too.

Cowboys Defense Too Leaky to Fix Now

That’s the big sticking point for Cowlishaw. Pickens is likely a one-year rental, because he’s played well enough to command a deal starting around $30 million per year. The Cowboys can’t afford to pay out another top-of-the-market deal for a receiver, not with Dak Prescott and Lamb already at the top of the market at their positions.

The team needs to allocate resources to the defense to be serious about winning, Cowlishaw writes:

“The notion of winning by scoring at least 30 points every game is a failed exercise. And thinking about ways to keep Pickens is the same as paying no attention to what happened on defense last year, what’s happening on defense this year and what this defense will look like in 2026.

“For the second time this season, the Joneses need to make the right decision on George Pickens. This decision is no riskier than the last one.”

George Pickens Could Bring Back Third-Round Compensation

Given the fact that he is a free agent, and the fact that he’d be a rental for only a half-season, the Cowboys would not likely recoup the full third-round pick in a trade for Pickens. That might make them a lot less motivated to move him. If things work out as expected, Dallas could get a 2027 third-rounder as compensation if Pickens leaves in free agency.

They’d lose that if they trade him now.

So trading him might not make much sense But signing him, too, appears to be a longshot, given how poor the defense has been and the need to address the issues there.