Cowboys news: The trade Dallas should be thinking about making

The Dallas Cowboys would be foolish not to trade down from pick No. 20 in the NFL Draft

After Dallas’ selection at 12, after which most of the true blue-chip defenders will be gone, there is a drop-off in the prospects available–especially by pick 20.

Don’t get me wrong, Kayden McDonald, Ahkeem Mesidor, and Colton Hood are good players, but no one worth going crazy for at 20.Trading back (or out of the first round entirely) offers Dallas the opportunity to recoup the capital they lost in those trades without sacrificing the chance to draft any game-changing prospects. They have enough holes on defense that finding a prospect that’ll catch Christian Parker’s eye shouldnt be hard.

Giants, Bengals Agree To DT Dexter Lawrence Trade – Adam La Rose, Pro Football Rumors

This big trade just shook up the draft and has the Giants drafting ahead of the Cowboys twice in the first round.

Dexter Lawrence is indeed on the move. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle’s trade request will result in a swap sending him to the AFC North. The Giants and Bengals have agreed to a Lawrence trade, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. This deal involves the No. 10 pick in next week’s draft heading to New York. An extension is also part of this blockbuster development, per the report. Cincinnati’s Day 1 selection is the only draft capital involved in the deal, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan adds.

In recent days it has become well known that Lawrence was open to a fresh start and that New York did not feel a sense of urgency to commit to a raise with the veteran coming off the least productive season of his career. The Giants understandably set a high asking price in this case, with a top-10 pick being sought out. They have managed to land one, and the team now holds selections No. 5 and 10 heading into the first round.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports efforts on the part of the Bengals to finalize this swap picked up over the past several days. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated adds the teams have been in contact for two weeks, with discussions centering on the price of a premium pick. The Giants initially tried to keep Lawrence even after receiving the Bengals’ offer, per SNY’s Connor Hughes; with the relationship beyond repair, the deal has now been agreed to. New York’s draft outlook is certainly much different now than it previously was.

The Giants will clear Lawrence’s remaining salaries for 2026 and ’27 from their books. With this swap taking place prior to June 1, the team will incur a dead money charge ($13.92MM) nearly identical to the cap savings ($13.04MM) which will be realized. Replacing Lawrence deep into free agency and/or by means of a draft class short on high-end defensive line prospects will now be a major priority.

From the Bengals’ perspective, this is an uncharacteristically aggressive move. Cincinnati has a reputation for avoiding high-profile transactions such as this, although the franchise’s approach has seen changes in recent years given the massive commitments made to the likes of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Investing heavily in those three has helped lead to defensive shortcomings, and upgrading on that side of the ball has been a key focus this offseason. Illustrating the nature of this acquisition, Raanan’s colleague Adam Schefter notes this is the first time in the common draft era (1966-present) the Bengals have traded away a top-10 pick.

Could these two sleepers fix Cowboys linebacker depth? – Cody Warren, Inside the Star

While the Cowboys do have to improve at linebacker, they don’t have to overcompensate in that area.

The Dallas Cowboys still need linebacker help, and that is why I like these two names that are flying under the radar. USF linebacker Mac Harris and Miami (Ohio) linebacker and Miami University (Ohio) linebacker Jackson Kuwatch are not the flashy prospects everyone likes to talk about, but both feel like the sleepiest of sleepers in the 2026 NFL Draft who could help Dallas improve its depth at a position that still doesn’t feel settled.We all know linebacker is one of the clear draft needs for the Cowboys, and ESPN locks that fact in.

The Cowboys don’t need just stars at linebacker, they need more competition depth, and players who can come in and push for a role. Harris and Kuwatch both bring enough production to at least make Dallas think about them.

The Cowboys Still Need Help

Everybody wants the big names to come to Dallas, but the Cowboys need to find players who can help the bottom half of the roster, survive camp, play teams, and give the linebacker room some life.ESPN’s Cowboys draft overview flat-out says Dallas “must find a linebacker,” that alone should show I’m not nitpicking.

If Dallas gets a linebacker early, I’m good with that, but I still wouldn’t hate coming back to the position later and grabbing someone who can compete for reps.That’s where I think players like Mac Harris and Jackson Kuwatch start to make sense.

Mac Harris Might Be the More Explosive Player

Mac Harris jumps out to me first because his production has some edge to it.He is listed at 6 foot tall and 230 pounds, and his 2025 stats were 54 solo tackles, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. That’s production that gets my attention for a player to compete.

He’s not a tackle collector, but when I saw the six sacks and multiple takeaways from a linebacker, I think about a player who could create problems for an opposing offense.Mac Harris is the kind of late-round name I would like to see Dallas find because he could give more than expected.

Cowboys fans need to know these 5 underrated Day 3 prospects – Mike Poland, Blogging the Boys

Dallas could could great value late in the draft with these players.

The 2026 NFL Draft is just around the corner. The Dallas Cowboys have many options with two first-round picks, and as things get closer we see some reasonable and also some crazy mocks coming out. Before things get too crazy, let’s look at Day 3 and five of the most underrated prospects the Cowboys could target and why you should know these names.

Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech

Wisniewski is exactly the kind of late-round hybrid defensive back teams talk themselves into on Saturday. He’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, had 78 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles and six pass breakups in 2025, and posted an 80.9 PFF grade with strong run-defense marks. He’s a massive sleeper on Day 3 and a name Cowboys fans need to go check out given the safety need on the roster.

Nyjalik Kelly, EDGE, UCF

Dallas’ brought in Kelly for one of their Top 30 visits, and this is a pure traits bet. Kelly is listed at 6-foot-5, 256 pounds with a sixth-round projection, and that’s after a season with 46 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. That is not polished-starter production, but for a Cowboys team still needing edge depth, he makes sense as a long-limbed rotational rusher with upside.

Bryce Boettcher, LB, Oregon

He is not a reported Dallas visitor, but he fits the need. Most have him projected as a sixth-round linebacker but his numbers argue otherwise. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, 233 pounds and put up 136 tackles with two forced fumbles, and is especially strong in run-defense along with good coverage skills. For a team that still needs linebacker depth, he’s the kind of high-volume, chase-and-finish player worth targeting if Dallas waits. ***Daily Discussion Question:* What is the worst way the draft can go in terms of what the rest of the NFC East could do?**