With the trade deadline approaching fast, the Cowboys are being pulled into the same conversation as the rest of the NFC. Dallas owner Jerry Jones, though, says he isn’t interested in chasing the market just to keep pace with what other teams are doing.
That doesn’t mean a deal is off the table. Jones has made it clear he would move if the price and fit are right, but he doesn’t want to react simply because the Seattle Seahawks added Quenton Nelson, the Chicago Bears added Jeffrey Simmons, and the San Francisco 49ers added DeForest Buckner.
The most obvious target around Dallas has been Maxx Crosby, and Cowboys insider Bryan Broaddus believes that possibility is still alive. But another edge rusher is starting to surface as a realistic name for the Cowboys: Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass-rusher YaYa Diaby.
Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News called Diaby a strong fit for Dallas, even if he doesn’t carry the same profile as Crosby. Iyer pointed to Diaby’s experience in the 3-4 and his status as an expiring contract, making him the kind of player a team could move now instead of risk losing for nothing later.
"Jerry and Stephen Jones should channel their inner Rolling Stones and 'Get Their YaYa Out' of Tampa and put him to work helping the pass rush. Diaby, a pending 27-year-old free agent, would fit well in the new 3-4 base scheme of Christian Parker after flashing of late for Todd Bowles," Iyer wrote.
Diaby came into the league as a third-round pick in 2023. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defender had seven sacks in 2025 for Tampa Bay, and this season he has 16 tackles and three sacks.
All three of those sacks came in the Buccaneers’ Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. He also picked off a pass against Dallas in the Cowboys’ surprising Week 5 loss.
At 27, Diaby is still viewed as an ascending player, which is exactly why he should attract attention if Tampa Bay decides not to extend him. In that case, the Buccaneers could prefer to get draft value back instead of watching him leave without compensation.
That said, his contract situation could keep the asking price in check. A trade may only cost Dallas a pair of Day 3 selections, with a fourth- and sixth-round pick mentioned as a possible framework.
For the Cowboys, that’s the kind of move that forces a real conversation. Dallas is already short on draft capital, so a deal like this would only make sense if the team sees Diaby as an immediate upgrade to the pass rush and believes there’s a path to keeping him beyond this season. Otherwise, paying that much for a rental would be a hard sell.
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For Tampa Bay, Diaby is the kind of player who fits the present while also raising long-term questions about the future of the roster. He has already piled up 22 career sacks and has shown enough upside to make him intriguing well beyond this season, but the broader issue is whether the Buccaneers would be inclined to keep him in place deep into his next contract window or see his value tested by teams looking for a younger pass-rush answer. [Read more 🡒]