One massive win in Week 7 and the Cowboys are right in the thick of the NFC race. The commanding 44-22 win over Washington had Dak Prescott believing this is the new-look Dallas that is going to last for the rest of the season. There’s a little merit to that.

Against the Commanders, Dallas saw CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin return to offense, helping extend the team’s position as the league leader in offensive yards per game. Adding to that, the Cowboys also saw their rather poor defense come to life. That leaves Jerry Jones and HC Brian Schottenheimer to answer a few urgent questions.

Jerry Jones isn’t looking to rush into the trade deadline

Following their win over Washington, the Cowboys now rank second in the NFC East with 3-3-1. The only team they trail is Philadelphia (5-2), signaling they are set up for some wishful thinking. But falling within the striking distance also forces the team to proceed with caution, make a few adjustments. The defense, after all, hasn’t been anything boastful.

Despite restricting the Commanders to just one passing touchdown and 219 receiving yards, one can’t look past the state of the team’s defense for the season. They entered the game with worst defense, giving up an NFL-high 411.7 yards per game. That would be a cue for Jones to start scouring for trade prospects to better position the team. But he is proceeding with patience.

“I don’t have anything in front of me right now that I’m interested in. I haven’t noodled up something that I might be interested in. You have to go within the boundaries of what’s possible and what you hear from other clubs as we get into the trading deadline. We’ll see if something there helps,” he said speaking to reporters after the game.

With the trade deadline approaching (November 4th), rumors swirl around the league. George Pickens, who shares the same agent as former Cowboys star Micah Parsons, David Mulugheta, is a name among them. When pressed about whether there should be any concern, given Parsons’ lengthy contract dispute, Jones simply brushed it off there as well. “Don’t pay any attention to that,” he said, before adding agents might not have the kind of influence it is often made to be.

But Pickens isn’t the only name in the rumor mill.

Trevon Diggs’ injury still remains a mystery

One of the highlights of the Cowboys week was that the team played their best game of the season without their cornerback, Diggs. After being placed on concussion protocol on Friday, the CB ended up missing Sunday’s game. After what had been a subpar season with 18 tackles and no passes defended, Dallas proceeding to not feel his absence against Washington raised a few eyebrows. Some even wondered about trade possibilities. But Jones and Schottenheimer remain ignorant of the noise.

“Yeah, yeah,” the HC confirmed when he asked if Diggs was staying on the team. “I’m a Trevon fan. I’m excited to get him back, and hopefully it won’t be too long.”

He didn’t reveal specifics behind the injury which has been the case since Friday. In the initial announcement Schottenheimer had shared that Diggs had come in with concussion symptoms after having an accident at his home. That was about as much Jones was going to be sharing on Sunday.

“He said what happened,” Jones shared. “But again, and I’m not saying that didn’t happen, but a lot of times you’re not the best viewer of what happened to you. Bottom line is I do expect him back.

“I don’t think the nature of his injury was something that would impact us for a long time, weeks ahead. I think it could possibly be behind us this week… He had an accident, and I’m good with that. We need him. We’ll be a lot better team with Diggs.”

But until he returns, the Cowboys prove they can hold up well.

Jones and Schottenheimer hope to send a message with Sunday’s win

In Dallas’ most convincing victory of the season, the offense tallied 409 yards on the back of Prescott’s 264 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The team reinstated itself as the elites of the league. But what truly shone was the defense.

They ensured more man-to-man coverage, more blitzing, and limited the Commanders’ ariel attack. To add to it, DaRon Bland made his first interception since 2023 and returned a third-quarter pick 68 yards for a touchdown. Jerry Jones couldn’t have been more proud of the execution.

“I know what we’re trying to do defensively,” he said. “And what I can appreciate about today, and I hope our fans see, is the way we are making changes, the way we’re executing those changes.”

In restricting the Commanders to just 22 points, Dallas ensured Jayden Daniels completed just 54.5 percent of his passes for 156 yards with a touchdown and a fumble. That called for some praise from Schottenheimer after the game.

“They played really hard like they always do,” the coach said. “I thought we affected the quarterback the way that we had in New York. I think that’s huge. It wasn’t just the four sacks, it was the hits. I thought our run defense really was great. [Marcus] Mariota got us for a couple runs and but man, they were swarming the ball. We were sticky in coverage, and that was all great to see.”

Jones’ squad will need more of that as they continue to eye the ring.