FRISCO, Texas -- The 2026 NFC East division is wide open, and Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones knows it.

The NFC East went a combined 0-6-2 the last two weeks, making it the first division in NFL history to go winless in consecutive weeks when playing four-plus games. That's why Jones feels his 2-4 Cowboys could still make a run at a division crown. The first-place New York Giants (3-2-1) are trying out Minnesota Vikings bust J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback, and the Philadelphia Eagles will likely be without Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts for the rest of the 2026 season as he recovers from blood clots. 

Ahead of the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline, Jones still sees Dallas as a potential buyer, not a seller. 

"I'll be real clear, I could see being active at the trade deadline if it was something that could help the team this year," Jones told reporters at the league's owners meetings on Wednesday.  

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer shares Jones' faith that a turnaround could be just around the corner for Dallas. 

"Number one, Jerry is never afraid to make moves, and number two, we have a lot of football left," Schottenheimer said on Thursday. "We're excited about winning a big game in Philadelphia on Monday."

Let's take a look at what Dallas has left in its draft pick war chest and then three players the Cowboys could acquire to help Jones' 2026 squad. 

Dallas draft picks available 

• 2027 first-round pick (the lesser of their own and the Green Bay Packers')
• 2027 second-round pick
• 2027 fourth-round pick (via Pittsburgh Steelers)
• 2027 seventh-round pick (San Francisco 49ers' pick from a trade with the Houston Texans)
• 2028 first-round pick
• 2028 third-round pick
• 2028 fourth-round pick
• 2028 fifth-round pick
• 2028 sixth-round pick
• 2028 sixth-round pick (via New Orleans Saints)
• All seven of their 2029 draft picks 

Chargers EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu

This is the big fish right here. The Cowboys currently rank 11th-worst in the NFL in quarterback pressure rate (34.5%) and fifth-worst in sack rate (4.2%), per TruMedia. Their pass rush is one of their most urgent remaining needs on defense. Two of the veteran Pro Bowl edge rushers they acquired this offseason, Rashan Gary and Von Miller, look to be past their expiration date when it comes to finishing rushes for sacks. Plus, the Cowboys are still struggling to replace All-Pro Micah Parsons' production after shipping him to the Green Bay Packers just before the kickoff of the 2025 season.

Should Jones be comfortable parting with high-round draft capital, Los Angeles Chargers 24-year-old Pro Bowl edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu makes a lot of sense. The age is at a point where the Cowboys would be trading for prime years of a player's career, and, like Joey Porter Jr., he is a former second-round pick in the final year of his rookie deal, looking to cash in on a large new deal. Tulipulotu's contract situation could make him available in a trade should the 0-6 Chargers decide to hold a fire sale ahead of the highly anticipated 2027 NFL Draft. 

He exploded for 13 sacks, the sixth most in the NFL, and 70 quarterback pressures, the 11th most in the league, in 2025 en route to earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He's on pace for another decent season through the first third of 2026. He's up to two sacks and 19 quarterback pressures already, while Los Angeles has spent the fourth-most time in the NFL trailing their opponents at 3:46:47. 

This is the headline-grabbing move if Jerry truly wants to be "all in" again. 

Dolphins LB Jordyn Books

The Dallas Cowboys reportedly attempted to trade for Miami Dolphins 2025 first-team All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks in the offseason, when he had just one year left on his contract, before Miami extended Brooks on a three-year, $48 million contract with $35 million guaranteed in the summer. 

However, the Dolphins are in the middle of a tear-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild in their first year with new head coach Jeff Hafley and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, both of whom come from the Green Bay Packers' draft-and-develop franchise model. 

Miami is 0-5 and has the NFL's worst scoring offense (14 points per game), and the Dolphins are the only team that has not led at any point in 2026. That makes them only the second team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to not have a lead in the first five games of a season, along with the 2005 Houston Texans, per CBS Sports Research. The Dolphins are also paying more for players not on their roster (an NFL-record $179 million in dead cap hits) than for the players on their roster ($156 million). 

Brooks is 29 years old and under contract through the 2029 season, his age-32 season. That's basically the rest of his prime. Jones not having to worry about Brooks' contract situation is likely a relief, and on a hopeless 2026 Dolphins team, he is still a bright spot. Pro Football Focus grades Brooks as the NFL's No. 9 linebacker against the run with a run defense grade of 78.6. He would be an immediate help to the Cowboys' league-worst run defense, which is allowing an average of 149.8 yards per game. Brooks could also help Dallas' pass rush as a blitzer from the second level as PFF's No. 7 pass rushing linebacker with a 79.1 pass rush grade. 

Broncos WR/Returner Marvin Mims Jr. 

One might look at this trade option and think, "Wait, a second. Dallas is loaded at wide receiver with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens!" Yes, but this trade is more about special teams with a little bit of WR3 or WR4 upside. 

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. is still a developing wide receiver at 24 years old, but he is already one of the NFL's best return men. Mims Jr. is a two-time Pro Bowl returner and earned first-team All-Pro returner accolades in 2024 when he led the NFL with a 15.7 yards per punt return average. He has both a kick and a punt return touchdown in his career, and he led the NFL with 452 punt return yards in 2025. 

Dallas does have a three-time Pro Bowl and 2024 first-team All-Pro return man in KaVontae Turpin, but the shine may be wearing off the TCU product. He had a brutal fumble on a kickoff return in the loss to the Buccaneers in Week 5, and the 5-foot-7, 170-pound return man is now 30 years old. 

Turpin still remains one of the shiftiest and speediest returners in the league, but at his age and size, Dallas might want someone younger and slightly bigger in Mims, who is 5-11 and weighs 182 pounds. The Cowboys might be able to get a draft pick for shipping Turpin out, and they could perhaps use that and another later-round pick to bring in a younger, bigger replacement. Plus, Mims went to high school down the street from the Cowboys' team facility, The Star, at Lone Star High School. Jones loves his Texas ties.