The Dallas Cowboys are less than a week out form the NFL trade deadline and, in recent years, we have seen the team make some bold moves there in early February. Last year, of course, a first- and second-round pick was shipped to the Jets to bring in All-Pro defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, and the Cowboys also added linebacker Logan Wilson. The previous year, the Cowboys made the odd decision to trade away a fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo, the former second-round receiver who struggled with the Panthers.
This year, there is a different question around the Cowboys. Yes, there is the chance that the team could takes its usual stance and plow forward on a trade, especially for an edge rusher, but with only four picks remaining in 2027 after the trade that brought in Joey Porter Jr., there is not much wherewithal to do so. Could the Cowboys instead be sellers … perhaps dealing off pending free agent George Pickens while they still can?
Rapoport: ‘Would Be Stunned’ by George Pickens NFL Trade Deadline Deal
That question was put to longtime NFL insider Ian Rapoport on ESPN’s “NFL Live,” and Rapoport was pretty emphatic. Pickens is underperforming last year’s 93-catch, 1,429-yard breakout season, and he could yet leave the team in a few months. But the Cowboys still have hope in 2026, and that’s not going push them toward a deal.
Said Rapoport: “The thing that has come up is a potential George Pickens trade. I would be beyond stunned, I would be beyond stunned. I don’t see that happening. The Cowboys are not really in the business of giving up good players plus, someone they would like to hold onto into the future. I would be beyond stunned.”
Cowboys Can Afford Star Trio
When it was suggested that the Cowboys should cash out on Pickens because they can’t keep Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and No. 3, Rapoport did not concur.
He said: “They can, they definitely can. I mean, it would be a lot of resources at receiver and quarterback, but the Cincinnati Bengals are doing it and they are OK. It’s really a matter of, do they want him around? For me, the division they are in, the schedule is not exactly the toughest schedule, they are talented. I have a hard time imagining this organization sells, knowing the impact it would have on the locker room and the entire state, basically, I don’t see them selling, I really don’t.”
Cowboys NFL Trade Deadline Plans Get Blunt Take From Insider