Cowboys Willing to Trade Ex-First Round Pick Before Deadline: Insider
The NFL trade deadline is only a couple days away, with the buzzer sounding on Tues. Nov. 4. As the deadline approaches, the Dallas Cowboys seem to be as aggressive as any team in the league, with the America’s Team intent on upgrading its squad on the defensive side of the football.
Even though the Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL right now, with star quarterback Dak Prescott having one of the best seasons of his career, the team hasn’t been able to recover defensively since trading superstar linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before Week 1.
That said, the Cowboys have been scouring the league looking for defensive upgrades, with the team seemingly willing to trade a former first-round draft pick.
Cowboys Willing to Trade Defensive Tackle Mazi Smith
The Cowboys’ efforts to make trade and improve defensively have fallen flat. However, that could change over ahead of the NFL trade deadline, as the team is reportedly willing to make defensive tackle Mazi Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The Dallas Cowboys have been in just about every trade article known to man, and this one is no exception. While they might not pull off another blockbuster like when they dealt Micah Parsons at the end of August, they are in the market for a pass rusher, sources say. Arden Key, the Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, and the Raiders’ Malcolm Koonce are among the edge rushers who could be traded. Dallas also appears to be open to trading 2023 first-round DT Mazi Smith, who has only played in five games this season.
It remains to be seen whether any teams bite on trade offers from the Cowboys, but they might get teams a bit more intrigued with the willingness to add a promising young player, even if it is a player from the defense that they are trying to improve.
Will Cowboys Make a Move Ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline?
GettyBradley Chubb #2 of the Miami Dolphins.
There seems to be no shortage of notable defensive players around the NFL that could be available ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4. The Cowboys are fully aware of this and are doing everything in their power to acquire a potential game-changer for their defense to help make a playoff run during the second half of the 2025 campaign.
The real question is whether any of these potential defensive game-changers will be traded ahead of Tuesday’s deadline and which player will the Cowboys have the opportunity to get their hands on.
Among the players mentioned frequently ahead of the NFL trade deadline are Trey Hendrickson (Cincinnati Bengals), Bradley Chubb (Miami Dolphins), Malcolm Koonce (Las Vegas Raiders) and Jaelen Phillips (Miami Dolphins). There’s a chance that one of these players could be Dallas bound before the buzzer sounds on the deadline.
Las Vegas Raiders superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby has also been a trade target for the Cowboys, Las Vegas has been adamant about keeping him.
COMING HOME! Dallas Sign New Player in Reunion Deal - Player who achieved 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons with Cowboys (2022, 2023)
FRISCO, Texas — In a move that’s got Cowboys Nation buzzing louder than a Texas thunderstorm, the Dallas Cowboys have pulled off a stunning reunion at the NFL trade deadline. The team announced on Friday the acquisition of running back Tony Pollard from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pollard, who electrified AT&T Stadium with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2022 and 2023, is coming home.
The deal, finalized just hours before the 4 p.m. ET deadline, addresses a glaring need in Dallas’s backfield. While Javonte Williams has been a revelation this season—racking up 633 yards and eight touchdowns through eight games—the depth behind him has been thinner than a last-place finisher’s excuses. With Miles Sanders sidelined on injured reserve and rookie Jaydon Blue managing just 65 yards on 22 carries as the RB2, head coach Mike McCarthy made it clear: the Cowboys couldn’t afford to ride or die with uncertainty.
“Tony’s not just a player; he’s family,” McCarthy said in a post-deadline press conference, his voice carrying the weight of nostalgia. “We’ve seen what he can do in this system, in this city. Bringing him back isn’t about patching a hole—it’s about reloading for a championship run.”
A Familiar Face, A Fresh Start
Pollard’s journey back to Dallas is the stuff of NFL fairy tales—or at least, the kind Jerry Jones loves to script. After exploding onto the scene as Ezekiel Elliott’s thunderous complement, Pollard took the reins as Dallas’s lead back in 2022, surging for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns on 193 carries. He followed that up in 2023 with another thousand-yard masterpiece: 1,005 yards and five scores, proving he was no flash in the pan.
Free agency beckoned in 2024, and Pollard inked a lucrative three-year, $21.75 million pact with the Titans, where he promptly delivered 1,079 yards and five touchdowns in his debut season. But 2025 has been a different story in Nashville. Mired in a rebuilding quagmire, Pollard has managed just 424 yards and two touchdowns on 109 carries, averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per attempt amid a Titans offense that’s sputtered like a faulty muffler.
Titans beat writer Dianna Russini of The Athletic had flagged Pollard as a prime trade chip earlier this week, noting the flood of calls Tennessee fielded for the 28-year-old. “The players the Titans are fielding the most calls on: DE Arden Key, LB Dre’Mont Jones, RB Tony Pollard and DT T’Vondre Sweat,” Russini reported. Dallas, it turns out, made the winning bid—a low-risk swap that fits Jones’s wheeler-dealer ethos to a T.
For Pollard, the return feels predestined. “Dallas is where it all started for me,” he told reporters via Zoom from the team facility, a Cowboys towel draped over his shoulders. “I grew here, won here, bled blue here. To get another shot at bringing a ring to this city? Man, that’s what it’s all about. I’m ready to hit the ground running—literally.”
Contract Smarts and Strategic Fit
The financials were always going to be the sticking point. Jones, fresh off letting Pollard walk last offseason to clear cap space for other priorities, isn’t one to overpay for sentiment. But the deal’s structure—a one-year rental essentially—makes it palatable. Pollard’s contract includes an out after 2025, allowing Dallas to evaluate his fit without long-term commitment. The Cowboys will absorb the remaining $6.5 million in guaranteed money for this season, a bargain for a proven workhorse.
On the field, the synergy is mouthwatering. Williams, the bruising newcomer acquired in the offseason, thrives on early-down pounds. Pollard, with his elusiveness and pass-catching chops (he’s tallied 32 receptions for 216 yards this year), slots in perfectly as the change-of-pace back. Imagine McCarthy dialing up jet sweeps with CeeDee Lamb and Pollard in motion, or Pollard spelling Williams on third-and-medium to keep defenses honest.
Analysts are already salivating. “This isn’t just depth; it’s insurance,” said ESPN’s Todd Archer. “Pollard’s vision and burst are tailor-made for Kellen Moore’s scheme. If Williams stays healthy, they’ve got a top-five rushing attack. If not? They’ve got a safety net that won’t skip a beat.”
Bigger Picture: Defense Still Looms, But Offense Reloads
Make no mistake: the Cowboys’ trade deadline fireworks haven’t ignored their defensive woes. Dallas is reportedly finalizing a deal for a pass-rushing edge from a contender, bolstering a unit that’s ranked dead last in points allowed (28.9 per game). But in a season where the NFC East is a dogfight—Philadelphia up by a game, Washington nipping at heels—the offensive upgrade feels like a statement.
Jones, ever the showman, summed it up best: “We’re not here to tinker. We’re here to win. Tony Pollard’s coming home because winners find a way to get their guys back.”
As Pollard straps on the star once more, Cowboys fans are dreaming big. The playoffs? That’s the floor. Lombardi Trophy? Why not aim high? After all, in Dallas, homecomings like this don’t just happen—they ignite legacies.
