One issue the Dallas Cowboys have as they navigate the next week-plus before the trade deadline is the lack of draft capital.

Because of his wheeling and dealing in recent years, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't have a ton to operate with, with the Cowboys having just four picks in next year's draft.

Dallas does have six in the 2028 NFL Draft, but the team is missing its second-round pick and we also know that teams prefer picks that come sooner rather than later in trades.

Cowboys could struggle to make trade

Because of the Cowboys' lack of draft capital, The Athletic's Jonathan Jones is hearing that the Cowboys might have a "difficult" time making trades at the deadline.

He also wonders if the Cowboys might try and make a player-for-player trade instead of the typical player-for-pick deals we see.

"Jerry Jones is always down to make a deal, but sources there think a pick-for-player trade would be difficult considering what Dallas has left," Jones said on Saturday. "Player-for-player trades have always been rare in the league, but if Dallas acquires help, maybe that’s their method."

Jerry Jones pessimistic about a trade

Jones has poured cold water on the notion that the Cowboys are 100% locked into making a trade.

Jones continues to say he's open to making a trade, but Jones also said it's "unlikely we'll get the opportunity from outside coming in."

More recently, Jones admitted he isn't feeling an added sense of urgency after some blockbuster trades around the NFL and "it would have to be a dynamic situation to give up (draft) picks."

This could be posturing from Jones, but it sure seems like the Cowboys owner is accepting the reality of the situation he's in.

It takes two to tango to make a trade and the price has to be right. Jones also has to weigh how much more he wants to dump into this team knowing another trade might not fix things.

The problem with a player-for-player swap

The problem with a player-for-player trade is the Cowboys are very unlikely to land the kind of substantial addition they need.

That's because the Cowboys would have to give up one of their best players to get something significant done and how many of those guys can the Cowboys even afford to give up?

The answer is not many, if any.

Who could Cowboys trade for a big return?

One player who immediately comes to mind is wideout George Pickens, who is the best combination of valuable and possibly available on Dallas' roster.

Pickens is on the franchise tag, which means he's set to be a free agent in 2027 once again unless the Cowboys tag him or extend him.

We continue to believe the latter approach won't be something the Cowboys seriously consider because paying hefty money to two wideouts will seriously hinder Dallas' ability to improve other positions.

Chances are he won't be amenable to the tag again, which could lead to a holdout situation if the Cowboys take that route. If the Cowboys do keep him on the tag again, the price will be higher and all of the money will be on the books for 2027, which will seriously hinder Dallas' cap situation.

Trading Pickens right now would be a blow to the offense, but it's not like the Cowboys are having much success with him on the team, anyway, and that's because their defense stinks.

All that said, we find it highly unlikely the Cowboys will trade Pickens during the season and if a big trade does go down, it'll involve Dallas giving up more draft capital and maybe a lesser player thrown in to sweeten the deal.