There were a lot of rumors this offseason that the Dallas Cowboys might make a trade for Miami Dolphins All-Pro inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks — that might not have been the right Dolphins linebacker to target.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put Dolphins starting inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson at the top of his list of players who should be on the trade block — he might be the perfect fit for the Cowboys if they are still looking to make a move at what’s been their weakest position group the last 2 seasons.
“Logical trade chips are few and far between for the Miami Dolphins, who already gutted their roster this offseason,” Knox wrote on August 10. “However, Miami could look to move linebacker Tyrel Dodson as part of its rebuilding effort. Dodson started 16 games this past season and racked up 129 tackles, five sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. He’s also set to carry a cap hit of only $3.7 million on the final year of his contract, which would make him very attractive to cap-tight teams … if the Dolphins’ plan is to phase out Dodson over the next year, trying to maximize his value with a preseason trade would make a ton of sense.”
The Dolphins certainly look ready to usher Dodson out the door — and the 2026 season is almost certainly a wash for them as they play with an NFL-record $179.2 million in dead cap space.
Not only that, but the Dolphins seem to have already moved on from Dodson — on paper at least — by locking up Brooks with a 3-year, $48 million contract extension and drafting 3 inside linebackers.
Dodson Began Career With Lengthy Suspension
Dodson, 6-foot and 237 pounds, went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2019 and began his NFL career with a lengthy NFL suspension — a 6-game ban after he was arrested for domestic violence and eventually pled guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.
After spending 4 seasons primarily as a backup and on special teams, Dodson became a starter in 2023 after an injury to Matt Milano forced him into the lineup, with Pro Football Focus grading him out as the most-improved player on the roster.
Dodson signed a 1-year, $4.2 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2024 season, then signed a 2-year, $6.5 million contract with the Dolphins before the 2025 season.
Cowboys Don’t Have Clear Answers at Inside LB
The Cowboys seem headed into 2026 with a 3-man rotation at inside linebacker — injury-prone veteran DeMarvion Overshown, rookie Jaishawn Barham, and Dee Winters, who was obtained in an offseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers.
Of those 3, Overshown probably has the highest upside, but Winters is probably the most reliable of the group at this point.
The Cowboys traded a 2026 5th-round pick to the 49ers for Winters on April 24.
In 2025, Winters had 101 tackles, 8 TFL, 5 pass deflections, and 1 interception returned 75 yards for a touchdown. He also started all 17 games for the 1st time in his career.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put Winters, 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds, at the top of his list of the NFL’s best “Under the Radar” players about to play a major role in the upcoming season.
“The Dallas Cowboys had one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2025, and the team took a buzzsaw to the unit in the offseason,” Davenport wrote on June 22. “There are new edge-rushers in veteran Rashan Gary and rookie Malachi Lawrence. Two new starting safeties in Jalen Thompson and first-round rookie Caleb Downs. And a potential new ‘green dot’ linebacker in Dee Winters … Winters isn’t an elite talent, but he was a steady producer for the 49ers last year. He also provides some badly needed stability for a Cowboys linebacker corps that was something of a carousel last year.”
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