Jerry Jones Eyes Star Edge Rusher Before Trade Deadline

Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are linked to a star edge rusher before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

The Cowboys are 3-5 after a 33-30 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones is known for making big moves before the trade deadline.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported that the Cowboys could target Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat.

Fowler said: "Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat has been linked to Dallas, which could be in the pass rush market but hasn't made any moves there yet."

Sweat is in the second year of a four-year, $76 million contract.

Fowler added: "The sense I get from teams in the edge rusher market is that Sweat would prefer a new deal as part of a trade -- or at least a sweetener, such as a raise on his $18.1 million salary this year or next."

He also noted: "He's in the second year of a four-year, $76 million contract, so wanting it reworked so early in the deal could be a hurdle to a trade."

The Cowboys have had their eye on pass rush help for a long time.

Dallas has not been to the NFC Championship since the 1995 season.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer is under fire for a conservative game plan against Arizona.

Jones admitted on 105.3 The Fan: "We were playing a game to avoid turnovers the best we could. The game plan you saw was doing that. You can call that conservative if you want to."

The Cowboys ran the ball 39 times compared to 29 dropbacks in that game.

Arizona's defense ranked 29th in EPA per play entering Week 8.

The Cardinals ranked 8th in rush EPA from Weeks 1 to 7, meaning they were strong against the run.

Schottenheimer's game plan ignored that the Cardinals could stack the box and bring pressure.

The Buccaneers and Packers had already used that formula to beat Dallas.

Jones has also faced criticism for his approach to coaching pay.

He said on 105.3 The Fan that there is "zero correlation" between coaching pay and wins.

The five highest-paid coaches in the league — Andy Reid, Sean Payton, John Harbaugh, Sean McVay, and Kyle Shanahan — have a combined record of 25-11-1 in 2026.

They have six Super Bowl trophies and 11 Super Bowl appearances.

Critics say Jones is being cheap with a budget line item that has no salary cap or floor.

Others suggest he does not want a coach whose high salary would give him power over the Jones family.

The Cowboys have no immediate plans to fire Schottenheimer.

A decision on his future could wait until after the season.

Jones has a history of making splashy trades before the deadline.

Whether he will pull the trigger on Sweat depends on whether a new deal can be worked out.