The Dallas Cowboys have heard plenty of debate about whether they should be buyers or sellers before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. That debate is worth having. I’m just not sure it’s the most important one.

The biggest thing on my mind ahead of the deadline is simple: The Cowboys cannot ride the fence. They cannot stay put. They cannot cross their arms and do nothing.

That is the one mistake they need to avoid.

Why doing nothing ignores two problems

I understand the arguments for buying. Believe it or not, the NFC East is within reach. The Giants have a significant lead, but Dallas has a chance to win the division with as few as eight wins. We still don’t really know who the Giants are, so we’ll find out soon enough what that bar looks like.

I also understand the arguments for selling. The Cowboys haven’t been a good football team. They haven’t put together back-to-back wins.

What I wouldn’t understand is standing pat, because that means ignoring two problems at once. One is short term, and the other is long term.

In the short term, doing nothing means ignoring the fact that this team isn’t good enough. If you’re chasing the division, you need to do something about the defense. At the very least, the linebacker play and the edge rusher play need help. Rumors have even swirled around Josh Sweat, although he isn’t a trade candidate I’d love specifically. There are other players Dallas could shop for, and the needs are clear if the Cowboys want to be a team that deserves a playoff spot.

But if they don’t buy, here’s why they should sell.

Cowboys have only three draft picks in 2027

The Cowboys have three picks in the 2027 NFL Draft: a first-rounder, a second-rounder, and a fourth-rounder they got as a swap in the Broderick Jones trade. For a team that could be in rebuild mode next offseason, that’s a big problem.

Dallas will be thinking about extending George Pickens, maybe. It will be thinking about extending Joey Porter Jr., too. If the Cowboys gave up a 2028 second-round pick for him, it should be because they want him beyond the 2026 season. Right now, I’d find it unlikely for them to extend both players long term.

Either way, Dallas is going to spend its money in-house next offseason. As usual, the Cowboys will likely be passive in free agency, filling holes rather than adding difference makers. To a point, that’s fair. But if that’s your mindset, you have to do something in the NFL draft, and that’s tough with only three picks.

Here’s the thing about selling, though: It doesn’t have to mean trading Pickens.

Every time the Cowboys and selling come up in the same sentence, the conversation goes straight to Pickens because of the caliber of player he is. Trade him, and you’d likely get something major in return, potentially a 2027 second-round pick. But extending him would be the wisest decision for Dallas. I wouldn’t be fooled by his slow start, either. I put that mostly on coaching rather than on the player himself.

Sell candidates who aren’t George Pickens

Plenty of players on this roster could make the Cowboys sellers, for less, while setting up a better rebuild for 2027.

WR KaVontae Turpin: I’m not saying he’d fetch a Day 2 pick, but a Day 3 pick is realistic. Dallas is stacked at wide receiver, and Ryan Flournoy keeps proving he can handle the No. 3 role. I’m not sure Turpin brings enough on special teams to be untradeable these days. A lot of teams would value his speed enough to hand over a late-round pick.

CB Shavon Revel Jr.: Think of this as a Jonathan Mingo-type trade, just from the other side. Dallas appears to have moved on. Revel Jr. was a healthy scratch in Week 8 against the Cardinals. In Week 9, he was active with Porter Jr. out due to injury and still played zero defensive snaps.

The Cowboys clearly don’t like what they’ve seen. Still, he’s been flashy in man coverage, and plenty of NFL teams liked him during the draft process. He took a lot of pre-draft visits, and there was buzz about him as a potential first-round pick. Some team might want to tap into that upside.

I think a fourth- or fifth-round pick is possible, not because of who he is right now, but because he has two years of contract control beyond 2026. I think that’s the biggest reason Mingo cost the Cowboys a fourth-round pick in 2024. The question is whether a team would actually pay that price.

EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku: Now for a more aggressive name. Ezeiruaku hasn’t been bad, but he’s left a lot to be desired and hasn’t finished plays. His pressure numbers are high, though, and that might entice some teams. Like Revel Jr., he’s a second-year player with two years under contract beyond 2026.

Dallas has a first-round pick invested in Malachi Lawrence, and Rashan Gary is clearly the top outside linebacker. I’d hate to see the Cowboys take another hit at an already thin position group. But they don’t have draft picks in 2027, and if this team is eyeing a soft rebuild to compete again next season, this might be one of the best ways to do it. It’s a trickier name, so I wouldn’t blame them for passing.

The point is the Cowboys have options. They can’t tell themselves they’re good enough right now, and they can’t tell themselves they’re fine long term either. Three picks next year will be a challenge to navigate.

So ahead of the deadline, I want the Cowboys to be decisive and proactive. Buy or sell, do something. Standing in the middle doesn’t help them now, and it won’t help them later.