Will 6-2 Cowboys be active at trade deadline as they enter bye week?

ARLINGTON, Texas – As November beckons, the caput starts to creation to what could beryllium for the Dallas Cowboys.

After the 49-29 win against the Chicago Bears connected Sunday, the Cowboys are 6-2. Only the Philadelphia Eagles person much wins than the Cowboys successful the NFC, and they sojourn AT&T Stadium connected Christmas Eve.

The Cowboys' defence has been the strength, though they allowed much than 3 touchdowns successful a crippled for the archetypal clip and gave up 240 rushing yards to the Bears. The discourtesy yet topped 25 points successful a game. Dak Prescott’s passing ratio reappeared (21-of-27, 250 yards, 2 touchdowns), and the Cowboys inactive ran for 200 yards without Ezekiel Elliott.

Running backmost Tony Pollard matched his vocation highs successful carries (14) and yards (131) portion rushing for 3 touchdowns arsenic the Cowboys rested Elliott, who has a hyperextended close knee.

Maybe it’s due to the fact that Prescott has been done this earlier that helium sounded pragmatic afterward. Last year, the Cowboys were 6-2 aft 8 games and mislaid 2 of three. In 2016, they were 7-1, and contempt having the champion grounds successful the NFC, mislaid successful the divisional circular of the playoffs. The tally to the playoffs successful 2018 did not commencement until aft a midseason commercialized for receiver Amari Cooper.

“You got to enactment successful the moment,” Prescott said. “When you play for this organization, you cognize what the eventual extremity is, truthful let’s not beryllium mistaken astir that. But, however, you can’t get up of yourself, and it’s astir taking it 1 time astatine a time, 1 crippled astatine a time, 1 week astatine a time. And close now, we’re going to spell and bask this bye week and cognize we’ve got to instrumentality attraction of ourselves this week. And past aft that, get close backmost to it, enactment our heads down and grind.”

The feeling successful the locker country Sunday was successful stark opposition to their feelings aft losing the Sept. 11 play opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers arsenic Prescott suffered a fractured close thumb.

“We’re successful the mix. And surely aft that archetypal game, you spell backmost to that and you’re thinking, hell, Dak mightiness miss 8-10 games,” enforcement vice president Stephen Jones said. “Obviously, this squad stepped up and showed a batch of resilience and done everything we’ve asked them to, and we’ve conscionable got to support playing hard.”

And present it’s clip to spot what the beforehand bureau tin bash by Tuesday’s commercialized deadline. The past clip they made a large in-season commercialized was erstwhile they acquired Cooper from the then-Oakland Raiders for a 2019 first-round pick. He made a large difference, arsenic the Cowboys went from 3-4 astatine the clip of his accomplishment to 10-6 and an NFC East title.

The Cowboys acquired chemoreceptor tackle Johnathan Hankins past week from the Raiders and person had discussions with teams astir adding a wide receiver.

“I deliberation it each has to beryllium the close move,” Jones said. “… If we tin marque 'em, we’ll marque 'em. If not …”

The Cowboys person won six games without Pro Bowl near tackle Tyron Smith. They went 4-1 without Prescott. They bushed the Bears without Elliott. They person had to woody with injuries to safeties Jayron Kearse (knee) and Malik Hooker (hamstring), cornerback Jourdan Lewis (foot), wide receiver Noah Brown (foot), linebacker Anthony Barr and adjacent their long-snapper, Jake McQuaide (triceps) and succeeded.

“I mean, we’re comfortable," Jones said. “Obviously, everybody wants to constituent to the receiving corps, but we similar that radical there. Noah volition beryllium back. We got, of course, James [Washington; connected injured reserve, adjacent to returning], and conscionable spot what happens. And past there’s immoderate guys that don’t beryllium to anybody that are retired there.”

Was that a hint astatine free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who is rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered successful the Super Bowl?

“I didn’t accidental that,” Jones said.

Whether the Cowboys marque a sizable commercialized -- oregon adhd a escaped cause -- doesn’t alteration manager Mike McCarthy’s approach. He reminded players to beryllium harmless during the bye week and said the 3rd 4th of the play starts erstwhile they get backmost to enactment connected Nov. 7.

On Monday, the players volition spell done what helium calls an “across the hall” breakdown, erstwhile the antiaircraft coaches conscionable with the violative players and the violative coaches conscionable with the antiaircraft players to sermon however to interruption tendencies successful their games.

“September shot is what it is; teams are conscionable trying to get going. October shot is erstwhile teams commencement to abstracted a small bit, and what you bash good and what you don’t bash truthful good is reasonably evident to everybody,” McCarthy said. “So that’s truly wherever my caput is astatine …. You got to cognize who you are and cognize however they are going to travel astatine you.”

And teams volition beryllium coming for the Cowboys. Four remaining opponents person winning streaks of astatine slightest 3 games astatine the moment: Minnesota Vikings (five), Philadelphia (seven), Tennessee Titans (five) and Washington Commanders (three).

Their adjacent game, against the Green Bay Packers astatine Lambeau Field connected Nov. 13, volition beryllium emotional, arsenic it is McCarthy’s instrumentality to Green Bay against the squad helium utilized to coach. They besides big the Giants connected Thanksgiving, and portion they bushed them astatine MetLife Stadium successful September, their NFC East rivals are besides 6-2.

“We’ve had a bully commencement to the season, but the existent shot starts successful November and December,” All-Pro close defender Zack Martin said. “It’s large that we get the week disconnected to get our bodies right, and we deed the crushed moving for big-time shot heading down the stretch.”