The seeds for this disappointing start to the Dallas Cowboys‘ season were sewn during the offseason.

Despite owner Jerry Jones‘ vow that the Cowboys would be “all-in” on the 2024 season, multiple starters and key contributors departed via free agency and Dallas’ marquee free agent signings were of the Ezekiel Elliott variety.

Fast forward to Week 9 kicking off across the NFL, and the Cowboys have now lost four of the last six games with conference losses to the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions hanging around their neck should they need them in a tiebreaker situation later this season.

So, faced at another crossroads of the NFL calendar, with the trade deadline looming on November 5, Jones has another choice; buy at the deadline or sell off assets to acquire draft capital in hopes of bolstering the roster for the 2025 campaign and beyond.

According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Cowboys’ choice is clear.

“Could the defense turn things around in the second half? Potentially,” Barnwell writes, suggesting the Cowboys will likely be buyers when the prudent move is to sell. “Getting Parsons back will obviously help. A unit that thrived in creating takeaways under Dan Quinn the past few seasons has forced only five turnovers in seven games, which should improve in the second half. Coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defense has recovered one of the six fumbles that have hit the ground on defense, which is more bad luck than anything else.

“The schedule gets a little easier from here on out, and after a trip to Atlanta this week, four of their next five games are at home. If the defense doesn’t improve, though, they might not want to face the fans in Arlington so often. This feels like a season that already has gotten away from the Cowboys, although it wouldn’t be shocking if they made a superficial move to add a running back at the deadline to try to spark some interest and allow team owner Jerry Jones to brag about opening his checkbook.”

Dallas will be getting Micah Parsons back in the coming weeks, as well as fellow All-Pro edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, which could spark a turnaround.

However, there is some skepticism inside the league that the Cowboys will get healthy enough quickly enough to make any meaningful difference down the stretch.

“Their issues probably run deeper than health,” a veteran NFC East scout recently told me, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “After you lose your defensive coordinator it now becomes learning something new with regards to the run fits for the defensive line and linebackers.

“Schematically, they’ve made some changes and the personnel being different for what Mike Zimmer likes to do with his interior guys is different compared to how Dan Quinn runs things.”

Jones once again finds himself at a crossroads, and his decision how to proceed at the deadline will impact not only the Cowboys’ chances this season but potentially in coming years, as well.