While the Dallas Cowboys may have thought in years past that off-ball linebacker DeMarvion Overshown could become 1 of the NFL’s elite at his position, that ship has sailed.
Overshown has been hurt too much and too soon in his career to reasonably think that anymore, and the Cowboys have already made 1 trade — with the San Francisco 49ers for Dee Winters — to try and shore up the position.
After ESPN’s Bill Barnwell released his annual trade valuations for all 32 teams, there now might be a window to actually solidify off-ball linebacker in a significant way by making another deal — this 1 for Miami Dolphins All-Pro Jordyn Brooks.
Barnwell’s trade value for Brooks came in low — think a 2nd- or 3rd-round pick — which is a price the Cowboys should be more than willing to pay.
“I had (Dolphins center) Aaron Brewer and Brooks on my first-team All-Pro roster in 2025, but they both play relatively undervalued positions and are already in their peak seasons as 28-year-olds,” Barnwell wrote.
Cowboys, Jordyn Brooks Linked in Trade Rumors
The Cowboys have long been a popular landing spot for Brooks in NFL trade rumors.
In June, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport pitched a deal that would bring Brooks to Dallas by sending a 2027 2nd-round pick and 2028 4th-round pick to Miami in exchange for Brooks and a 2028 5th-round pick.
“(The Cowboys) have been wildly aggressive trying to bolster a defense that was the NFL’s worst last year,” Davenport wrote. “There are two new edge-rushers in veteran Rashan Gary and rookie Malachi Lawrence, two new starters at safety and a new linebacker in Dee Winters. However, while Winters is a capable pro, he’s not the same caliber of player Brooks is. The Cowboys are perpetually all-in on a Super Bowl run—trading for Brooks would be a nice finish to the team’s defensive makeover.”
Brooks Became Dominant Defender in Miami
Brooks, 6-foot and 240 pounds, was a 1st round pick (No. 27 overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2020 NFL draft and has been 1 of the NFL’s dominant inside linebackers since becoming a full-time starter in his 2nd season — when he had a career-high 184 tackles and led the NFL with 109 solo tackles.
He signed a 3-year, $26.25 million free-agent contract with the Dolphins before the 2024 season. Brooks is in the final season of that deal in 2026, when he’s due approximately $8.375 million.
Brooks has only missed 2 regular-season games since 2021, and none since 2023, and led the NFL in both tackles (183) and solo tackles (99) in 2025.
“A smooth coverage linebacker with great instincts and field sense, Brooks is one of the few linebackers in the league who can truly be trusted to carry a tight end down the field, or drop into the intermediate middle and not get bamboozled by route combinations or quarterbacks’ eye fakes,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote in October 2025. “Coverage linebackers in their athletic prime are rare and impactful players.”
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Cowboys attempted to trade with the Houston Texans for Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who wound up signing a 3-year, $54 million contract extension on April 29.
“Before trading for Dee Winters, the Cowboys talked to the Texans about Al-Shaair,” Garafolo wrote on his official X account. “But Houston values Al-Shaair for his play on the field and community work off of it. Now putting their $$$ down to further prove it.”
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