Jerry Jones Says Cowboys Trade Offers Ahead of Deadline 'Just Didn't Work'

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday the team was involved in a small number of discussions ahead of the 2020 NFL trade deadline Tuesday but none of them led to a deal.

"It just didn't work," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan radio. "We actually got into the weeds on two or three of them. Worked at it a little bit but saw that it wasn't going to work. They were more in the nature of the future, not so much as it would relate to what we're doing in the next eight games here."

Jones wouldn't reveal any specific details from the talks, though he stated two of the proposals included sending players to another organization and the other involved bringing a player to Dallas.

The Cowboys headed into the deadline in a tricky position. They have a 2-6 record, and starting quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the rest of the year because of an ankle injury.

Yet, all four NFC East teams are below .500. With the Philadelphia Eagles leading the division at 3-4-1, Dallas is just 1.5 games away from a playoff berth heading into the season's second half.

That created a situation when an argument could have been made in either direction for the Cowboys at the deadline.

On one hand, a trade for a veteran quarterback like the Miami Dolphins' Ryan Fitzpatrick could have reinvigorated the Cowboys offense. With Prescott and backup Andy Dalton both sidelined, the team's only options right now are Ben DiNucci, Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush.

Even that type of move wouldn't have made a significant difference in terms of the ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl, though. So trading away a couple of veterans in exchange for draft picks could have also made some sense.

Dallas' front office opted to simply stand pat.

The Cowboys are back in action Sunday when they host the 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers at AT&T Stadium. That's followed by the team's bye in Week 10.