The Dallas Cowboys tried to pull off a trade for a superstar edge rusher in Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro Maxx Crosby this offseason, but the price proved to be too high.
Instead, they settled for (another) trade for Rashan Gary, then took an edge rusher with their 2nd pick in the 1st round with Malachi Lawrence at No. 23 overall — and did so only after trading down from No. 20 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
That means, if there’s another deal out there to be had, the Cowboys should probably go for it. And there might be after Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Daire Carragher put 6-foot-5, 265-pound Indianapolis Colts edge rusher and 2024 1st round pick Laiatu Latu on his list of high-profile trade candidates who could be available after the Los Angeles Rams pulled off a trade for superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett.
Much of Carragher’s thrust toward putting Latu on the list hinges on the Colts being the Colts — in other words, continuing to be bad.
“The idea of shipping away a recent first-round edge defender sounds ridiculous on the surface, particularly when that player has already shown the kind of flashes Latu has displayed early in his career,” Carragher wrote. “Then again, fellow 2024 first-round pick Jared Verse was similarly considered untouchable before becoming the selling point in the Garrett trade. Latu tallied an extra half-sack than Verse last year despite recording just 60% as many pressures. He finished the year as PFF’s highest-graded edge defender from the 2024 class, and led all defensive linemen with three interceptions … If a third consecutive losing season arrives without a clear long-term answer at quarterback, the franchise could be forced into a more aggressive rebuild.”
What Cowboys Would Give Up for Laiatu Latu
The price for Latu would be high, but not insurmountable.
It would probably have to be something along the lines of a 2027 2nd round pick along with edge rusher James Houston.
According to Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton, Houston is the 1 player Dallas should trade before the start of the offseason to capitalize on what might be a fleeting window of value for the former 6th-round pick.
“As a designated pass-rusher, James Houston recorded 5.5 sacks and 19 pressures while on the field for 28 percent of the defensive snaps last season,” Moton wrote. “The Cowboys’ roster additions could bury Houston on the depth chart. Rather than play the fifth-year pro sparingly, Dallas can trade him to an edge-rusher-needy team for an early Day 3 pick.”
‘The Problem’ Impressed Early With Lions
The Detroit Lions picked Houston in the 6th round (No. 217 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft out of Jackson State, where he played for Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Houston earned the nickname “The Problem” in college and in 2021 — his lone season playing for Sanders — had 70 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, and one interception on the way to earning FCS All-American, All-SWAC, and SWAC Newcomer of the Year honors.
Houston had 8.0 sacks for the Lions as a rookie in 2022, and did it in just 7 games.
He only managed 1.0 sack in 11 games over the next 2 seasons and spent 2024 split between the Lions and the Cleveland Browns.
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