There was no team who created more buzz on the final day NFL teams could make trades than the Dallas Cowboys, who completed 2 blockbuster trades for plug-and-play starters on defense, bringing in Cincinnati Bengals inside linebacker Logan Wilson and New York Jets All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
While the trades seemed to dominate headlines, the on-field result — and the reality of how the Cowboys ended up there — might not be as appealing to Cowboys fans when they see it up close.
The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia ripped Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for making the moves, which both came after trading away arguably the NFL’s dominant defensive player in edge rusher Micah Parsons, who the team sent to the Green Bay Packers before the season in exchange for 2 first round draft picks.
The Cowboys gave up a 2026 second round pick, 2027 first round pick and defensive tackle and 2023 first round pick Mazi Smith for Williams.
“You should be absolutely livid (if you’re a Cowboys fan),” Kapadia said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Tuesday, November 4. “You’re 3-5-1. You have no chance at the playoffs … what are you doing? You add it all up and the Cowboys essentially traded Parsons for Quinnen Williams, (defensive tackle) Kenny Clark and a first round pick, plus they got some cap space back …
“Wilson was benched by the Bengals. Williams is a great run stopped but he has one sack. He has 3 quarterback hits. He’s 90th in the NFL in quarterback pressures … just unbelievable mismanagement.”
The Cowboys are coming off an embarrassing home loss to the Arizona Cardinals, have a bye in Week 10 and return to action in Week 11 with a Monday Night Football road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“The rest of the NFL should be unbelievably happy (Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones is still allowed to make trades,” Simmons said.
Wild Reactions to Cowboys Blockbuster Trades
While there were other blockbuster deals around the league on the trade deadline — Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for 2 first round picks — the Cowboys trades were what everyone was talking about.
“The Cowboys have basically traded DE Micah Parsons, a second-round pick, DT Mazi Smith for DT Quinnen Williams, DT Kenny Clark and a first-round pick,” The Athletic’s Jon Machota wrote on his official X account.
From Bleacher Report: “So, the Cowboys added two defenders to a unit ranked 31st in both yards and points allowed. That’s great, but it isn’t enough to chance the course of Dallas’ season. The Cowboys are 3-5-1 and may struggle to finish above .500 even with Wilson and Williams in the fold. And the Williams trade doesn’t even look all that great when placed next to the Parsons trade.”
“Obviously, with all trades, it’s a giant TBD, but this feels like a great deal for Dallas,” Cowboys fan Dan Rogers wrote on his official X account. “A 2027 first-rounder is equivalent to a 2026 second-rounder. The Cowboys essentially got Quinnen Williams for two second-round picks. That’s a steal!”
“The Cowboys trades for Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson should allow immediate improvement to one of the worst defenses in franchise history,” NFL reporter Ed Werder wrote on his official X account. “The Cowboys have allowed 30.8 PPG this season, their 3rd-highest mark through 9 games in franchise history after 1960 (33.1) and 2020 (32.2), per ESPN Research.”
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