We are just days away from finding out if the Dallas Cowboys are going to add to their defense ahead of the trade deadline.

As we sit here on Saturday, the deadline is rapidly approaching on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Cowboys certainly need help on defense, but Jerry Jones also has to weigh if its worth it to make a trade given how hopeless Dallas' unit looks this season.

When it comes to what the Cowboys might do at the deadline, The Athletic's Jonathan Jones believes a player-for-player swap is the only kind of trade that makes sense for Dallas.

"The only sort of trade that makes sense for Dallas would be a player-for-player deal involving someone on defense," he said.

Jones isn't wrong here.

Cowboys' dwindling draft pick stockpile

The Cowboys have depleted their draft pick stockpile in recent years with some big trades, including the ones for Rashan Gary, Quinnen Williams and Joey Porter Jr., among others.

As a result of those deals, the Cowboys have just four picks in next year's draft, including one in the first, second, fourth and seventh rounds.

Then, in 2028, the Cowboys don't have their second- and seventh-round picks, although they do have two in the sixth.

Outside of being able to make a huge blockbuster trade that will add a premier edge rusher, which is the only kind of move that has any hope of saving Dallas' awful defense, it just does not make much sense to sacrifice more draft capital.

The problem with a player-for-player trade

As we said, the Cowboys need a massive upgrade at edge rusher to even have a chance to turn their defense around.

Getting that kind of player is difficult in and of itself, but trying to land a top-notch edge rusher in a player-for-player trade will be impossible.

The only player who could come close to garnering that type of return that the Cowboys could afford to trade is wide receiver George Pickens, and even then he probably won't be enough alone and draft capital would still be required.

We also know that the Cowboys are unlikely to have any interest in trading Pickens, even though it makes sense to do so given the fact he probably doesn't have a future in Dallas.

"As of right now there's nothing there (with a Pickens trade," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show .

Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is saying the same.

"“The fifth-year pass-catcher and second-year Cowboy is playing this season on the franchise tag after the team elected not to discuss a long-term contract with him in the offseason," said Harris.

"Despite trade rhetoric around the time of that decision being announced, the Cowboys never engaged in trying to send him away. Seven months later, that strategy remains the same ahead of the deadline, according to multiple sources."

We would not rule out Jerry saying "F them picks" even more and going out and making a significant trade, but it just doesn't seem like the most likely scenario at this point given everything we know.