Jerry Jones keeps saying the Cowboys will look at every avenue before the November 10 NFL trade deadline, and one name is starting to stand out as a realistic fit: Alex Highsmith.
Dallas may not have the draft capital to chase a blockbuster, especially with its 2027 picks limited, but that doesn’t mean the front office has to sit out the market entirely. On 105.3 The Fan, John Owning pointed to Highsmith of the Pittsburgh Steelers as a player who could make sense for the Cowboys if they decide to make a move.
“Everyone talks about Maxx Crosby as kind of the golden goose that everyone wants to get. And I think obviously bringing him in would be a huge impact.
He'd be a very valuable defender. But I just don't think that's very feasible given the draft picks that the Cowboys have, but I do think someone like I've talked to (Bryan) Broaddus about this a few times is Alex Highsmith from the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Owning said.
Owning’s case was simple: Highsmith is young enough to help now and later, and he’d bring value beyond just this season. “I think he's someone who is young enough, he's impactful enough, and if you brought him in, he's someone who, even if this year is not your year, he can be impactful year two, year three, year four for you.
So it's still, it legitimizes trading for him. So I think he's someone who can make an impact, not only in the pass rush department, but also defending the run on the edge.
He would immediately walk into the team and be the number one edge defender.”
Highsmith has 18 tackles and 3.5 sacks this season while rotating with T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig. He also signed a four-year, $68 million extension in 2023, which keeps him under contract through the 2027 season.
The Steelers also extended Herbig this offseason, a move that only added to the speculation around Highsmith as a possible trade target for Dallas. That possibility has already been floated by Cowboys On SI.
A deal between the Cowboys and Steelers wouldn’t come out of nowhere, either. Dallas has already traded for George Pickens, Broderick Jones, and Joey Porter Jr. over the past two seasons, and those moves have worked out well enough that another swing at a Steelers player would not be a shock.
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