After last week’s loss, fans in Cowboys Nation wanted to see some fire, some urgency. Instead, they saw the Dallas Cowboys in a 30-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The defense looked lost again, and this time, head coach Brian Schottenheimer didn’t dodge the responsibility.

“That locker room is hurting. I’m hurting,” said head coach. “Why? Because we let an opportunity slip, another championship opportunity, and it’s frustrating as hell.” The Cowboys gave up 410 yards and 27 first downs, allowing the Panthers’ offense to move the ball at will.

Still, Schottenheimer wasn’t in the mood to start a blame game. “But you don’t point fingers, you know? You look at the film, and we’re gonna see it. It’s gonna jump off the film, the things that we didn’t do well, and we’ll get them fixed. And I don’t worry about this team starting to point fingers in any way, shape, or form.”

Through six games, the Cowboys’ defense has hit a breaking point. Rico Dowdle burned his former team with 183 rushing yards and 56 more through the air, while George Pickens posted 168 yards and a score. Once again, the offense showed flashes, but the defense couldn’t hold its end of the deal. Schottenheimer knows the margin for error is thin.

He believes a few tweaks on defense can turn this around, especially with CeeDee Lamb set to return from his ankle injury. Pairing Lamb with Pickens could finally give the Cowboys a one-two punch opponents fear. However, here’s the thing: Jerry Jones might not wait much longer to strengthen this roster. And recently he got some suggestions.

$32 million trade might fix Brian Schottenheimer’s defensive issues

In six games, the Cowboys gave up nearly 31 points per contest. And for Schottenheimer’s team, one glaring weakness has been the pass rush. Since trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, Dallas has managed just 11 sacks.

So, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has a solution within the NFC East itself: former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux. Knox pegged the 24-year-old pass-rusher’s value at a conditional second-round pick and listed him as the No. 5 player on Bleacher Report’s trade block big board last week.

“The 24-year-old was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft, but New York has since added Brian Burns and rookie Abdul Carter, who are now its top two sack artists,” Knox wrote, highlighting why Thibodeaux could be expendable in New York.

The analyst also suggested that the Giants might prefer dealing with the 49ers or Buccaneers rather than a direct division rival, which could make things easier. Still, New York has a glut of pass-rushers and gaps elsewhere on its roster.

Meanwhile, Jerry Jones picked up two first-round picks in the Parsons trade, meaning parting with a second-rounder to shore up a struggling defense isn’t out of the question.

Thibodeaux is in the fourth year of his rookie deal, which totals $31,348,174. The Giants already exercised the fifth-year team option, keeping him under contract through 2026. At 24, he’s already logged 54 QB hits, 31 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, 12 pass breakups, six forced fumbles, and a defensive touchdown in 49 career games.

So, will Jones pull the trigger? Only time will tell.