With the 2025 NFL trade deadline set for Nov 4, the Dallas Cowboys sit at 3-3-1 and squarely in the NFC mix, but are self-aware about a defense that hasn’t been good enough.

The offense is humming at an elite clip, but the other side of the ball is why the front office is “on the hunt” for an impact addition.

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Executive vice president Stephen Jones framed both the market reality and Dallas’ intent.

“With the way this league is, I mean, there’s only two teams with one loss and one of ’em has a loss and a tie, and so everybody’s going to think they’re in it. So if you’re in it, you don’t just want to move on from a guy like you’re saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to trade a few guys off, take picks and get ready for next year.’ You don’t find many teams like that. And we don’t really feel like we need down-the-line guys. I mean, we need a guy who’d be a front-line guy who’d make a difference,” Jones said via Mike Fisher of CowboysCountry.com. Jones added, “There’s a lot of things we’re going to watch. The right deal comes up, we’ll look at it.”

The loudest rumor remains All-Pro edge Maxx Crosby.

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The Raiders have pushed back on moving him, and reports out of Dallas conflict on whether contact was made. Still, plugged-in Cowboys insider Bryan Broaddus of 105.3 The Fan says the possibility “isn’t dead.”

If Crosby is unattainable, other front-line names surfacing include Trey Hendrickson, Bradley Chubb, Jermaine Johnson II, and Jaelan Phillips. The mandate is clear. Find a game-changer, not a depth piece. Now the clock—and the price—will decide if Dallas gets one.