The Morning After -The Quinnen Trade Deadline

Just when you think you have the Cowboys figured out, they decide to surprise us, again.

The Cowboys are never boring, I suppose. And I wrote to you yesterday with a very ominous ending to what felt like another beatdown of a year.

Allow me to share the finale of the Arizona missive:

But, those of you who have been doing this for decades are just fatigued by it all. The hopelessness has arrived in early November all over again. The once-proud Dallas Cowboys are no closer to a solution than they were last time we had this talk.

Here we are on deadline day and the last chance of this season to try to sell the world that you are just one move away. Surely, plucking a linebacker off the only defense worse than yours in the entire league is the answer we all seek to get this sorted.

It is hard to articulate just how hopeless this organization seems this morning. I am not sure another round of optimistic interviews will save this one, Jerry.

This is why journaling is probably a wise thing for a human being. It captures exactly how you felt at precise moments in time that will be hard to remember just 24 hours later.

I am not saying everything changed yesterday, but, I am saying that we better write again because the furniture has been moved pretty substantially.

Hopelessness just needs a ray of light to suddenly promise a new day. And by golly, we might see one if we squint hard enough. Because look who has showed up on the NFL Transaction Log on November 4, 2025:

Two trades which should bring instant starters to the defense that has been inept.

First, LB Logan Wilson from the Bengals was acquired for a 2026 seventh-round pick. This was the predictable move that should help in many ways we will detail below. He has two additional years left on his deal at roughly $7 million per through the end of the 2027 season with virtually nothing guaranteed. He is 29 and is playing in his 6th NFL season currently. This is a trade that feels nearly identical to the trade of Kenneth Murray and a sure signal that they realize that deal is not working and this is their next attempt at finding competent linebacker play from a veteran. Anyone who reads this knows I fully endorse this move almost without qualification.

Then, the big daddy move was made and it definitely rocked me a bit when I heard the news. The Cowboys traded a lot to get a lot. They now have Quinnen Williams.

The Jets traded star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and DT Mazi Smith. New York will receive the higher of the Cowboys’ two first-round picks in 2027.

Wow. Now, that is a move. And it is both exciting and terrifying so if you want me to blast this move without qualification, I cannot. But, if you want me to praise this move without qualification, I also cannot.

This is being widely ripped because the Cowboys are not in the playoff hunt so why do anything at the deadline? Listen, I rip the Jones Boys as much as anyone, but let’s not be disingenuous.

This is not at all about 2025, in my opinion.

Perhaps this one - like so many topics I try to write about – is going to require some nuance. Let’s get started.