It has made some logical sense from the beginning, the connection that has come up between the Dallas Cowboys and a potential trade for Dolphins All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks. And both the Cowboys and the Dolphins clearly saw the sense in it, because reports in March indicated that the two sides discussed a deal once Dallas–determined to upgrade at linebacker after two underwhelming years at that position–missed out on free agent targets like Quay Walker, Â Nakobe Dean and Devin Lloyd.
But talks eventually fizzled and no deal came to the fore. The Cowboys drafted a linebacker, Jaishawn Barham, and traded for another, Dee Winters, and are apparently going into the training portion of their offseason hoping that with incumbents DeMarvion Overshown and Shemar James, they’ve got enough in the middle of the defense.
It’s a group with some talent, but it is very thin. And even in the context of its talent, it’s a group that does not have a long track record to transforming talent into production.
Jordyn Brooks Could Be a June 1 Trade Target
That’s why speculation has continued to roll about whether the Cowboys can and should make a move on another veteran linebacker. With Brooks still in Miami, and with the Dolphins perhaps waiting for the June 1 threshold (they can reduce the cap hit on Brooks by waiting until after June 1 to trade him) to engage fully in trade talks, there’s a chance that the Cowboys and Dolphins could get serious about a trade.
The Cowboys could welcome Brooks into the fold as a foundation player. The team is trying to build a defensive front that can shut down the run game. Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Brooks the third-best run-stopping linebacker in the NFL, and he led the league in solo tackles (99) and combined tackles (183). Heâs also durable, with 83 games played in the last three seasons.
Cowboys Trade for Jordyn Brooks Could Be ‘Made Easier’
As Joseph Hoyt, a Cowboys writer for the Dallas Morning News, points out, the Dolphins still are a motivated seller on Brooks.
He wrote this week that despite the Winters trade, the Cowboys could double down with another move: “Brooks’ talent still bears watching. He was an All-Pro last season and a top-10 linebacker in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Brooks is also entering the final year of a three-year contract. The Dolphins drafted multiple linebackers, including Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez. Could that be enough to lower his value and make a trade easier for the Cowboys?”
Cowboys Depleting 2027 Draft Picks
Possibly, but there are some downsides for the Cowboys’ chances at making a Brooks trade. The first among them is draft picks. Already, the Cowboys have dipped heavily into their draft-pick stockpile for 2027. They had two first-rounders from the Micah Parsons trade, but owe one to the Jets. they have picks in the second and third rounds.
But they have no fourth or fifth-round picks. They have two sixth-rounders and no seventh-rounder.
If they want to get Brooks, it would most certainly cost them a second or third-round pick next year. The Cowboys do want to win now, and Brooks could help in that aim. But it would take more selling out of the future.
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