The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of a tense moment. We’re talking about a 3-4-1 losing record heading into Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. The defense has been a mess and a constant target of criticism, and the trade deadline is right around the corner. Yet instead of zeroing in on fixing his team, Jerry Jones seems more focused on a massive natural gas reserve in East Texas.

Naturally, the Dallas Nation got shocked and enraged. However, the first-year head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, just admitted that no one’s more focused on the Cowboys than the team’s owner/general manager, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.

“We sit down every Monday (90 minutes to 2 hours) and every Friday (45 minutes to an hour), myself, the coordinators, Jerry, Stephen, Jerry Jr., and we have such lengthy conversations,” the HC explained. “Jerry, Stephen and I talk almost every day by phone as well. At the end of the day, I can promise you one thing, no one wants to win more than Jerry Jones. And it’s our job to go out there and do that. That’s what we’re focused on.”

The whole situation blew up when Cowboys fans realized Jerry Jones appeared more focused on a huge East Texas natural gas reserve (managed by Comstock Resources, the drilling company where he holds a 71% stake) than on repairing the team’s shaky defense.

“There’s $100 billion present value with gas out there,” Jerry said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “That’s why I’m talking to you on the telephone rather than trying to fix our defense with the Dallas Cowboys.”

At this point, no one really expects Jerry to spend every waking moment worrying about the Cowboys. What fans do want, though, is for him to step back from his GM role and bring in someone who can actually handle the football side of things.

Still, his recent comments only fueled frustration among fans who feel Jerry is more interested in grabbing headlines than fixing the team’s problems. After all, the Cowboys’ owner has been pouring money into Comstock Resources and has committed more than $1 billion.

Jerry is undeniably a sharp businessman. That’s how he turned the Cowboys from a mediocre team to the most valuable team in the league while also winning multiple Super Bowls. But it’s the football side that has fans concerned. Even though Coach Schottenheimer made it clear that Jerry intends to win games, that hasn’t stopped supporters from voicing their frustration with the owner’s approach.

Jerry Jones doesn’t have a trade in mind to help the defense

The writing is etched upon the stars: the Cowboys’ defense cannot endure much longer without some help on the defense. After all, they’ve already parted ways with their best defender, Micah Parsons. And considering the November 4 trade deadline is almost here, the rumors have connected Jerry Jones’ team with a couple of top-tier pass rushers.

We’re talking about Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders and Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals. However, as things stand, Crosby has reportedly decided to stay in Vegas, and Hendrickson in Cincy. Which naturally raises a question: Will Jerry look for another candidate on the trade market? It’s unlikely.

“It’s not as bad as it looks … but it also has a lot of room for improvement for us to be where we want to be on defense. – We need combination, we need to basically have better play from the linebackers, maintaining the integrity of the gaps, which the linebackers have to fill,” Jerry said on 105.3 The Fan.

The Cowboys’ defense has struggled tremendously this season, ranking near the bottom of the league and allowing over 30 points and over 400 yards in most of the games. But with Crosby and Hendrickson out of the picture, the owner doesn’t seem to have another candidate on his mind.

“I can tell you this right now, there is not a trade in my mind, the beginning and end of one, as we sit here and talk … we just don’t have one at this time that I would do,” he added.

That said, while the criticism and the calls to fire Matt Eberflus are palpable, Jerry Jones has yet to decide on the team’s defensive struggles.