Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones motions fans as he walks out to the field before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO — Maybe Jerry Jones said it because he had spent all evening with Jeff Bezos. Or maybe he said it because he was feeling inspired. Either way, Jones strutted to the media after the Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders with a prepared quote he was noticeably excited to share.
“There’s nothing more dangerous than an old man with money,” Jones said.
But what about an old man without fear of the future? That’s pretty dangerous, too.
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Jones, 83, has not been shy about his willingness to steal from the future to help this year’s team. He made it clear in training camp that they’d be interested in adding playmakers in the defensive secondary and off the edge if they felt there was a good enough deal. The trade on late Wednesday night was another example.
The Cowboys traded a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to the Steelers for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. The Cowboys now have four picks in the 2027 NFL draft: a first-round pick — the worse of the two belonging to the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers — a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick. The Cowboys usually get a compensatory pick or multiple, but in 2027 there’s a low chance they get any, according to Spotrac’s projections.
The Cowboys have never had less than five selections in a draft.
For a team that’s prided itself on building through the draft, there appears to be a shift — a change in the wind that has Jones looking like an older version of Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead. The Cowboys are showing when it comes to winning now, forget the picks.
“Jerry and I have talked from the very beginning: we are in a win-now mindset,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “That doesn’t change. Why? Jerry is 84, that’s one reason.”
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As Schottenheimer alluded, time is of the essence. That’s also true with how the roster is constructed. When the Cowboys signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $60 million per year extension, it’s because they believed they could win a Super Bowl with him. Prescott has been playing at a high level over the last two seasons. So far, he’s ranked third in terms of quarterback EPA (Extra Points Added) per play. He’s ranked fifth in QBR, according to ESPN.
Overall, the Cowboys are averaging 29.3 points per game. That’s good for seventh in the NFL.
As we expected, the defense has been another story. The Cowboys are 25th in terms of points allowed per game (27.3). They’re also dealing with a lot of injuries in their secondary, including to corners Cobie Durant and Shavon Revel Jr. Both have started opposite of DaRon Bland. Both could miss Sunday’s game against the Texans.
Porter hasn’t played this season amid contract negotiations with the Steelers that ultimately hit an impasse. He also dealt with a back injury, but he wasn’t listed on the injury report Thursday. There’s a chance he could play against the Texans.
Schottenheimer said the trade for Porter wasn’t sparked by the recent injuries. Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker said he gave prototypes to the front office early in the offseason about the types of players he would want at certain positions. The front office responded by acquiring multiple players that could fit, via free agency, trade, and the draft.
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The Cowboys have been aggressive in adding defensive help in the hopes that it could pair with an offense that’s in win-now mode.
“This game is complementary. It doesn’t matter how good we are if the other side’s not trying to do the same,” Prescott said. “Obviously through the offseason changes and everything and those guys in the locker room, they’re doing that. They are getting better. To make a win-now trade, it means a lot. It just shows you that this whole organization is on the same page and you’re thankful when you have guys at the top, the owners, making those decisions and not waiting.”
There’s reward to this strategy. Snead and the Rams showed it when they made multiple trades that led to a Super Bowl win in 2022. Snead even wore a shirt bearing colorful language in the parade that highlighted his win-now thinking and, in essence, his willingness to “forget those picks.”
There’s also a risk. Porter is in the final year of his rookie contract. Unlike in Pittsburgh, he’s willing to play on it. Wide receiver George Pickens is also willing to play on a one-year deal this season. Linebacker Dee Winters will be a free agent after this season. So will right tackle Broderick Jones, whom they also acquired from the Steelers.
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Picks in next year’s draft, as well as some in the previous draft and in 2028, helped the Cowboys land those guys. There’s a chance multiple players could be gone after this season.
It’s the price a team pays when they steal from the future, as the Cowboys have done. And if it doesn’t work out, it could be dangerous.
Will the Cowboys’ trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. fix their defensive problems?
Dallas traded a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Porter late Wednesday night to bolster a defense dealing with injuries and poor performance. Will it fix their problems? Tell us your thoughts.