The Dallas Cowboys have already spent the offseason remaking their defense, but one spot still looks unsettled: linebacker.
That’s where Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks enters the picture. If Dallas wants to turn a promising unit into a more dependable one before the season begins, Brooks is the kind of addition that changes the conversation.
The Cowboys’ current linebacker group comes with real questions. DeMarvion Overshown has struggled to stay healthy, Dee Winters is probably better suited as a third linebacker, and Jaishawn Barham and Shemar James remain unproven. For a team that still needs more certainty in both run defense and the pass rush, that leaves room for a move.
Brooks has built a strong case over the past two seasons, and 2025 was his best work yet. He earned first-team All-Pro honors and, according to Pro Football Focus, ranked third among linebackers in run defense grade and 11th in pass-rush grade. He also led the NFL with 183 tackles while adding 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
Dallas has reportedly already checked on a possible trade, though there’s no indication Miami is eager to move him. Still, the logic is there.
Brooks is in the final year of his contract and turns 29 in October, while the Dolphins’ rebuild timeline doesn’t exactly match his prime. A trade would also bring back draft capital, something Miami could use, especially after the Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos.
For the Cowboys, this is not a fantasy-land swing like a Maxx Crosby pursuit. It’s a realistic one.
Brooks would likely cost a third-round pick, perhaps with a late Day 3 pick added to seal the deal. Dallas has all four of its Day 2 selections over the next two years, plus six late-Day 3 picks, giving them the ammo to make a run at it.
The cap situation is tighter, but not impossible. The Cowboys have $5.4 million in cap space, and Brooks carries a $7.8 million base salary. That makes the financial piece complicated, though still manageable.
A new extension would make the move cleaner and keep Brooks from being a one-year rental, but it doesn’t seem necessary for the deal to happen. Brooks hasn’t shown any signs of holding out.
Dallas has done a lot this offseason. A trade for Brooks would still be one of the clearest ways to add certainty to a defense that could use more of it.
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