Cowboys news: Draft trade rumors around Dallas continue
Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones have two 2026 NFL Draft prospects they’d trade up for – Jobe Morrison, Yahoo Sports
Who could the Cowboys be pursuing in a trade up?
The NFL is charging full speed toward the 2026 NFL Draft. Teams are not only finalizing their draft boards but also kicking off offseason workouts.
The Dallas Cowboys enter this stretch with significant draft capital, thanks to last season’s Micah Parsons trade.
However, trading Parsons to the Green Bay Packers left a massive void in their defense. Now, the Cowboys have the resources to address that weakness in a big way.
Don’t be surprised if they swing for the fences with one of two prospects they’re targeting. In fact, given Jerry Jones and company’s history, you should probably expect it.
The Cowboys haven’t traded up in the first round since 2012, when they moved up to select cornerback Morris Claiborne. Fourteen years later, they may be ready to make a similar move.
According to ESPN, Dallas has identified two prime candidates: Caleb Downs and Rueben Bain Jr.
Both prospects bring elite talent and tremendous upside. Many evaluators consider them the top players at their respective positions.
Still, each comes with concerns. Reports have flagged a potential ACL issue for Downs, while Bain faces questions about his measurables—particularly his arm length.
Could Dallas Cowboys Take Non-Traditional Approach for Crucial Defensive Role? – Mike Moraitis, SI.com
Who will wear the green dot in 2026?
Not only do the Dallas Cowboys need a linebacker, they need one who can wear the green dot on Sundays.
Just in case you aren’t aware of what a green-dot linebacker is, it’s the quarterback of the defense. The player is in charge of relaying the defensive play-calls that come in through their helmet that is marked with a green-dot sticker to the rest of the defense and making sure everyone is lined up properly before the snap.
That job is almost always taken by a starting inside linebacker because of where they line up, and right now the Cowboys only have one staring-caliber linebacker on their roster in DeMarvion Overshown, but Dallas hasn’t given him that role.
The expectation is the Cowboys will sign and draft players at the position moving forward and one of those players will end up with the job, although putting a rookie in charge of something as important as the green dot is a risky proposition, at best.
Rookies have enough on their plate as is and adding the green-dot responsibility on top of that would only make life more difficult. It would be far more ideal for a veteran to take it.
Could Jalen Thompson wear the green dot?
Could the Cowboys take the non-traditional route and give it to someone like Jalen Thompson, Dallas’ 2026 free-agent acquisition and newest safety?
We have seen safeties take on the green dot in the past, however rare it might be.
That topic was broached by a Cowboys fan in a recent mailbag posted on the team’s official website, and it’s a logical question. After all, Thompson is a smart, experienced player who could play box safety and slot corner, which is important because whoever wears the green dot has to be near the line of scrimmage.
While neither Patrik Walker nor Tommy Yarrish totally shot it down, neither one thinks it’s not an ideal scenario because Thompson’s responsibilities could lead to playing farther away from the line of scrimmage on some plays, which would make it impossible to communicate with the defensive line.
Are there any late free agent targets for the Dallas Cowboys to chase? – Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times
Are the Cowboys done in free agency?
While the top free agents are long off the market, there are still second-tier names out there and Dallas needs help just about everywhere on defense. To that end, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put together a list of the top free agents to chase for all 32 teams.Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
For Dallas, he came up with linebacker Bobby Okereke, who was with the New York Giants last year.
He writes: “The Cowboys have some young talent at the (linebacker) position in DeMarvion Overshown and Shemar James, but the former can’t stay healthy and the latter is largely unproven. Bobby Okereke is not — over seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants, the 29-year-old has started 95 games and surpassed 130 total tackles four times, including 143 stops with the G-Men in 2025. He also has extensive experience wearing the ‘green dot’ helmet communicator and relaying the defensive signals.”
Dallas Cowboys have a lot of pre-draft meetings with cornerbacks but none may matter as much as the latest one – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports
This cornerback could fix a lot of the Cowboys problems on defense.
While linebacker and edge rusher are the needs getting the most attention for the Dallas Cowboys leading into the 2026 NFL Draft, they’re being very clear about their intentions to address the cornerback position.
Ahead of April 23, the Cowboys are meeting with multiple first-round cornerback prospects. But none may matter more than Avieon Terrell from Clemson, who officially became one of the team’s Top 30 visits on Wednesday.Terrell visits Cowboys
Terrell met with the Cowboys on Wednesday, according to draft insider Ryan Fowler.
During the visit, he met with new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker and defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley, among other defensive coaches.
This had to be one of their most important pre-draft visits as it was an opportunity to gather intel on a hamstring injury that kept Terrell from finishing workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He also missed Clemson’s Pro Day and then aggravated the injury at a private Pro Day.Clemson CB could be the fix to Cowboys problem
The reason why Terrell is a prime first-round candidate for the Cowboys is simple: Though undersized, he has position flexibility and is one of the best options to add a nickel corner in the draft.
The Cowboys have discussed nickel as one of their top needs. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer indicated the Cowboys wanted a nickel to make sure they can keep DaRon Bland on the outside, where they believe he can still be a force.
“At the end of the day, we’d love to have a guy that would allow us to keep DaRon outside,” Schottenheimer said. “We feel like DaRon can shut down a side of the field. We’d rather keep him outside than move him inside.”
Daily Discussion Question: The draft begins in under two weeks… how are you feeling?
Post a Comment