Regardless of whether the Dallas Cowboys are winning or losing, team owner Jerry Jones has always stayed in the news. Even at age 84, little has changed, as Jones recently teased that the Cowboys could make moves ahead of the November 10, 4:00 pm ET trade deadline, though one former NFL star doesn’t think it holds weight.

Gerald McCoy Goes Off on Jerry Jones’ Possible Trade Deadline Plans

McCoy, a 6-time Pro Bowler for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current NFL analyst for ESPN, went on a heated rant around Jones’ announcement, saying, “You don’t have a personnel problem.”

“You currently have 10 All-Pro or Pro Bowl players on your roster, and there are five teams that have been at the top of the league since 2020 with All-Pro and Pro Bowl players; the Cowboys are one of them, and you have nothing to show for it. So it is not the talent or the players.”

McCoy’s assessment is harsh, but honest.

The Cowboys certainly have plenty of talent that’s recognized across the league for All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, including Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Tyler Smith, but they haven’t been able to come close to a deep playoff run since their last NFC Championship appearance in 1996… 30 years ago.

That said, to play devil’s advocate for Jones, the offensive talent has always been supreme, but Dallas’ defenses have been lacking for years now, so it’s not like he’s had a Super Bowl-caliber roster often since 1996. He is, however, responsible for adding talent on both sides of the ball.

The poor defensive trend for Jones and the Cowboys has followed them into 2026. Their 60.9 PFN Defense Impact Grade ranks dead last in the league.

McCoy continued, “You can have all of those players, but if it’s not being coached right, or you’re allowing these bad things to happen on the field, it does not matter. So we’re tired of hearing, ‘Oh, I’m going to be aggressive at the trade deadline,’ or ‘I’m going to go get these guys.'”

McCoy, then, believes coaching and accountability, rather than a lack of talent, have contributed to Dallas’ prolonged postseason struggles.

They’re often one of the most talented teams in the league, willing to spend big money to keep and bring in superstars, though they nearly always fall flat on the field when it matters.

The last three Cowboys coaches, Brian Schottenheimer, Mike McCarthy, and Jason Garrett, have a combined 3-6 playoff record, and Schottenheimer’s 9-13-1 regular-season record a year and a half into the job suggests Jones’ team is heading for a slump.