With Dak Prescott likely out at least four games in an anticipated move to injured reserve because of the star quarterback’s strained hamstring, the Dallas Cowboys are still buyers.
Those were the words of owner and general manager Jerry Jones on his radio show Tuesday, trade deadline day, when he acknowledged the addition of Carolina receiver Jonathan Mingo without giving the name after updating the prognosis on his franchise QB.
“We’re not selling,” said Jones, whose team will give up a 2025 fourth-round draft pick and add a seventh-rounder in the trade with the Panthers. “We will make that case. We’re buying and not selling.”
Prescott sustained the injury in the second half of a 27-21 loss to Atlanta. The Cowboys (3-5) play NFC East rival Philadelphia (6-2) on Sunday, the second of four consecutive games against winning teams.
“It’s an extended period of time here,” Jones said. “I wouldn’t dare make a prediction when it could be. We’ll see kind of how his rehab goes.”
Cooper Rush will replace Prescott, just as he did when the Cowboys went 4-1 in 2022 with Prescott out after breaking a thumb in a loss in the season opener. Rush also won a game in 2021 filling in for the 2016 AP offensive rookie of the year.
Prescott’s extended absence is another setback in a season full of them for the Cowboys, who are on their first three-game losing streak since 2020. Dallas played the last 11 games of that 6-10 season without Prescott after he broke an ankle.
“There’s no question that Dak’s injury is setback,” Jones said. “But we’ve seen Cooper do it. We know what we need to do, the strategies on the offense. We just need to come together game by game, use all of our players to the extent that it helps us.”
The defending NFC East champions are already three games behind Washington and Philadelphia in the division. The Commanders (7-2) are part of the four-game stretch against winning teams.
The meeting with Washington is the only road game in the next five for Dallas, which is 0-3 at home. Assuming he ends up on IR, Prescott won’t be available until the end of that five-game stretch Dec. 9 against Cincinnati.
Jones said he expected two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to return against the Eagles after missing four games with a high ankle sprain. Head coach Mike McCarthy has said Parsons would likely practice Wednesday for the first time since the injury.
Mingo was a 2023 second-round pick by the Panthers, who are tied for the worst record in the NFL. He has been outplayed in his second season by a pair of rookies in first-round pick Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, who was undrafted. Carolina also traded receiver Diontae Johnson last week.
The move for Mingo was probably about more than just this season for Dallas. Brandin Cooks, the No. 2 receiver behind All-Pro CeeDee Lamb, will be a free agent in 2025. Mingo’s contract goes through 2026.
Lamb sprained his right shoulder against the Falcons but is expected to play Sunday. Cooks, who has a knee issue, can come off IR this week, but the Cowboys have been deliberate with their return-to-play designations.
To make room on the roster for Mingo, the Cowboys released cornerback Andrew Booth, who was acquired in a trade with Minnesota during training camp.
Mingo, a second-round pick last year, only has 12 receptions for 121 yards in nine games.
In other trades Tuesday:
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The NFC North-leading Lions kicked off deadline day by acquiring defensive end Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns. The three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher helps fill the void created by the loss of star Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a leg injury. The 2-7 Browns, already looking to rebuild in a disappointing season, are sending Smith and a seventh-round pick in 2026 to Detroit for a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026.
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The Washington Commanders got four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the struggling Saints (2-7), three people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The Saints are getting a third-round pick, a fourth-rounder and their own sixth that they previously sent to Washington.
- The Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) added depth at running back, getting Khalil Herbert from Chicago (4-4) for a 2025 seventh-round draft pick. Herbert had just eight carries for 16 yards and one touchdown for the Bears.
- The New York Jets have traded wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Williams, who signed with New York in the off-season as a free agent, had 12 catches for 166 yards in nine games with the Jets.
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Pittsburgh added Preston Smith to bolster the pass rush. The Steelers, who lead the AFC North, traded a 2025 seventh-round pick to Green Bay (6-3) for Smith, who has 2 1/2 sacks this season after averaging 8 1/2 per year over the previous three.
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The Baltimore Ravens (6-3) improved their secondary by acquiring Tre’Davious White, two people with knowledge of the trade told the AP. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t announced the deal. White, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, was inactive the past four games with the Rams. Baltimore sent a seventh-round pick in 2026 to Los Angeles for White and a seventh-round pick in 2027.
A whopping nine teams have just two wins through Week 9, increasing their chances of being sellers.
Two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City has been a top buyer and could still be shopping. The Chiefs already added three-time All-Pro receiver D’Andre Hopkins and edge rusher Josh Esche.
Hopkins made his presence felt in Monday night’s 30-24 overtime victory over Tampa Bay. He caught eight passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns in his second game with Patrick Mahomes.
