With Sunday’s wild 40-40 tie against the Packers, Jerry Jones basically reminded the league that his Cowboys can still hang with anybody, even without the so-called best edge rusher in the game. But there’s a dichotomy within this team. Dallas flexes the No. 1 offense in the NFL at 404.3 yards per game…and a dead-last defense, bleeding 420.5 yards a night. Jerry Jones needed defensive reinforcements yesterday, and here are five players who could actually keep this thrill ride from ending in a ditch.

1) Riq Woolen (Seahawks)

Ian Rapoport reported that “teams are monitoring Pro Bowl CB Riq Woolen as a possible trade target,” and the Cowboys need to be one of those teams. Woolen is a 6’4″ press corner with ball skills and contested-catch length that could help a Cowboys defense that has been regularly beaten over the top and off the line this year.

Woolen gives Dallas the freedom to crank up the man/press looks when teams try to bully the edges. His skyscraper arms make life miserable for those big boundary wideouts who usually feast on smaller corners. In a zone-heavy week, he’s still useful as a large slot/outside option who can mirror and disrupt.

2) Kyle Dugger (Patriots)

Multiple reports had the Patriots kicking the tires on a Kyle Dugger trade this offseason, with his name and Anfernee Jennings’ floating around, as New England reshuffled the roster under a new staff.

Dugger is a downhill, physical safety with pretty decent tackling numbers. He posted a 109-tackle season in 2024. Dugger offers the Cowboys a hybrid weapon: a big safety who can align closer to the box against run-heavy opponents and also patrol the deep middle when you want Donovan Wilson or Malik Hooker in different roles.

The snag? That wallet. Dugger’s rocking a four-year, $58 million extension, and insiders in Boston have already said the guaranteed money scared off suitors. Any deal would either require the Pats to eat some of that cash or Jerry Jones to pull off one of his trademark cap-contortionist moves.

3) Jaelan Phillips (Dolphins)

Phillips is the kind of name that perks up front-office ears if Miami even hints at shuffling its edge room. He’s playing on his fifth-year option, has had a few injury speed bumps, and that combo always stirs up trade chatter. He’s racked up 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons, which is basically catnip for teams craving pressure.

For Dallas, he’s the prototype of what you need post-Micah Parsons: a high-ceiling disruptor who can win one-on-ones, crush pockets, and slide into a rotation without demanding 70 snaps a game. The question for Jerry isn’t if he fits; it’s whether you’re ready to pay for a pass-rush cheat code when the market inevitably heats up.

4) L’Jarius Sneed (Titans)

Sneed was a shutdown-level corner with the Chiefs earlier in his career: quick in tight spaces, reliable in press, and comfortable playing off. Lately, though, his production has dipped, and that big contract makes him more of a gamble. Still, if the Cowboys think a change of scenery and the right coaching staff could flip the switch again, he’s the definition of a high-upside bet.

Plug him in outside or even in a rotation, and he’d pair nicely with a long-press corner like Trevon Diggs after his return from injury or some of the other pieces Dallas already has. The catch? The numbers haven’t been great, the tape hasn’t been perfect, and the financials aren’t small.

5) Anfernee Jennings (Patriots)

Anfernee Jennings has been floating around trade-watch lists all year, usually mentioned in the same breath as Kyle Dugger. He’s not a headline name, but he’s the kind of steady, no-frills linebacker teams like to stash. Jennings has shown he can set the edge against the run, and in the preseason, he even flashed some juice as a pass rusher.

He’s not the game-wrecking passer you’d trade the farm for, but he’s the sort of six-to-eight-snap-per-series grinder that solidifies the second level and gives you more rotational juice on third down.