Cowboys' Jerry Jones 'Absolutely' Open to Trades to Help Defense, Cites 'Extra Picks'

Having already signed Jadeveon Clowney to help the Dallas Cowboys' leaky defense, Jerry Jones may not be done making moves on that side of the ball.

During his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan's K&C Masterpiece on Friday (h/t The Athletic's Jon Machota), Jones said the Cowboys are "absolutely" open to making trades that will bolster the defense and cited the "extra picks" they got as part of the Micah Parsons deal to sweeten any potential offers.

"I'm open for business period relative now that we have those extra picks. We should be," Jones said.

The Cowboys received first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 from the Green Bay Packers in the Parsons trade. Jones teased soon after the deal was finalized that those selections could subsequently be used to make a trade.

"We not only have four first-round picks over the next two years," Jones told reporters on Aug. 28. "Nothing says we can't use some of those picks right now, to go get somebody right now. Don't rule that out."

After the Cowboys allowed 506 total yards in Week 2 to the New York Giants, Jones said the team agreed to a deal with Clowney. He will join the defensive line that has just three sacks so far this season (all in Week 2).

Despite Jones' desire to include first-round picks in a potential trade for defensive help, there has to be a player who comes on the market during the season worth that price.

It's very rare to find a player of that caliber who gets moved in-season. The last time a trade involving a first-round pick happened during the season was in 2022 when the Miami Dolphins acquired Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos.

There also has to be a team with a player of that caliber having a disappointing season that wants to move in a different direction.

Whatever ends up happening before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Jones and the Cowboys be very active if they feel like this team is one or two defensive pieces away from being a playoff contender.