The Dallas Cowboys completed multiple trades on Tuesday in an effort to both compete for the playoffs this season and prepare the team for future years.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Cowboys opened the trade deadline by acquiring Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson in exchange for a seventh-round draft selection.
Dallas then followed up this trade with a blockbuster move, trading for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
However, these trades leave Cowboys fans with one major question: Can Dallas still make the postseason this year?
Technically, the Cowboys can still make the postseason despite starting the year with a 3-5-1 record. However, the path to the postseason is an uphill climb and will likely require near perfection from the Cowboys.
A total of seven teams from each conference make the NFL Playoffs every season, including four divisional winners and three additional wild card seeds.
Entering Week 10, the Cowboys are in 11th place in the conference and second in the NFC East division. However, winning the division is likely out of the equation unless the Philadelphia Eagles collapse.
As a result, Dallas will have to try to claim one of the three wild-card slots, with the most likely outcome being the Cowboys’ securing the seventh seed in the playoffs.
Realistically, the Cowboys will need to finish with at least 10 wins to secure a spot in the postseason, meaning they will likely have to compile a record of 7-1 across the remaining eight weeks of the season.
The Cowboys currently have just a 4% chance to claim a spot in the postseason, according to The Athletic’s Playoff Predictor.
This percentage is a result of the slow start to the year and the challenging remaining schedule.
Following the Cowboys’ bye in Week 10, Dallas will take on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11.
That matchup will be one of the last remaining games against a lower-tier opponent, as the Cowboys will then face a gauntlet of games to end the season.
Dallas will take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles in Week 12, who currently have a record of 6-2 and have already defeated the Cowboys once this season. They will then face the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been to three consecutive Super Bowls, in Week 13.
Following these difficult matchups, the Cowboys will travel to take on the Detroit Lions in Week 14, who finished with a record of 15-2 last season and boast one of the best offenses in NFL history.
This three-week stretch is one of the most challenging that any team will face throughout the 2025 regular season, with the Cowboys needing to go at least 2-1 in this stretch to remain in the playoff hunt.
If the Cowboys manage to leave that three-game stretch with only one loss, the team will then have consecutive matchups against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15 and the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16.
Both Minnesota and Los Angeles have dealt with a variety of injuries to start the season. Still, each of those matchups will be incredibly difficult, as both teams are also vying to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Finally, the Cowboys will finish the season with matchups against the Washington Commanders and New York Giants.
Both of these teams have struggled this season, but divisional matchups are frequently difficult due to the familiarity between the teams.
Dallas finishing with a record of 7-1, with one of those losses coming against either the Eagles, Chiefs, or Lions, increases their chances of making the postseason to over 90%, according to The Athletic’s Playoff Predictor.
Additionally, losing just two games in the remaining eight weeks of the season increases the Cowboys’ odds to roughly 40%, with slight changes to that percentage coming based on which teams the losses came against.
Although Dallas finishing with a tie against the Green Bay Packers was viewed as disappointing by many fans, the outcome of that matchup could provide even more hope for this team’s playoff future.
The Cowboys finishing with a record of 10-6-1 would likely grant this team a spot in the postseason, as other teams that finish with 10 wins will also have seven losses, meaning Dallas would have the slightly better overall winning percentage.
Similarly, if only nine wins are required for the final playoff spot, the Cowboys’ potential record of 9-7-1 would trump the records of teams that finish 9-8 in the regular season.
The Cowboys rattling off a record of at least 6-2 is increasingly unlikely for a team with major roster flaws and one of the most difficult remaining schedules in the NFL, but there is still a path to the playoffs for this team.
As a whole, the Cowboys technically have a chance to make the postseason this year, though it appears that the trades completed by the franchise at the deadline were meant to bolster this team for the future.