Jordyn Brooks #20 of the Miami Dolphins could be a trade target for the Dallas Cowboys.

Perhaps we should not look at the spending the Dallas Cowboys laid out in this year’s NFL free-agent class as a complete disappointment. Sure, Jerry Jones promised to “bust the budget” to improve what was one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2025, and no doubt the money spent last week was well short of the expectation that declaration set. But compared to the way the Cowboys typically spend in free agency, it was a marked improvement.

That’s not to provide excuses for the Dallas front office. It’s merely to point out that the Cowboys view free agency as the least efficient way to acquire new players, and in the end, they signed six players from other teams who are almost certain to be on the roster in 2026, plus made a trade for edge rusher Rashan Gary—which could be considered a preemptive free-agent signing.

The spending was relatively modest. But that is a lot of signings by Cowboys standards.

The big disappointment, though, remains that none of those signings is a middle linebacker, and the Cowboys missed on their two big “green dot” options, Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. But the Cowboys could turn back to their comfort zone to address the shortage: a trade, perhaps for All-Pro Jordyn Brooks of the Dolphins.

Cowboys Are Discussing Jordyn Brooks, Azeez Al-Shaair Trades

That was an option mentioned by Fort Worth Star-Telegram Cowboys beat writer Nick Harris, who noted that the team has turned away from its original presumed trade target, Patrick Queen of the Steelers, and have been looking at a potential trade for Brooks, or perhaps Azeez Al-Shaair of the Texans.

In response to a question about the linebacker spot off of his mock draft on Twitter/X, Harris wrote, “They’ve pivoted off Queen. Al-Shaair & Brooks are being discussed though.”

Jordyn Brooks Led NFL in Tackles

Brooks would likely be the better option, especially as the Cowboys try to build a defensive front that can shut down the run game. Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Brooks the third-best run-stopping linebacker in the NFL, and he led the league in solo tackles (99) and combined tackles (183). He’s also durable, with 83 games played in the last three seasons.

The Dolphins are dismantling and seeking to rebuild with draft picks, presenting the Cowboys with an opportunity to swipe Brooks, who is in the final year of his contract and has a $10.8 million cap hit in 2026.

Al-Shaair is no slouch, either, coming off a Pro Bowl season in which he was rated the No. 17 overall linebacker in the league by PFF, and No. 13 against the run.

Cowboys Trade for Jordyn Brooks Fills Hole

If the Cowboys do not add a linebacker by trade in the coming weeks, they’ll be forced to consider taking one with their second first-round pick, which comes in at No. 20. They could nab Sonny Styles at No. 12, but there is a slim chance he falls that far. The Cowboys could, too, trade up to get Styles.

If not, the Cowboys are likely to consider CJ Allen from Georgia at No. 20, and perhaps Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, who is widely considered a second-round pick and the Cowboys do not have a second-rounder.

In the aforementioned mock draft from Harris, it should be noted, he sees the Cowboys picking cornerback Mansoor Delane and edge rusher TJ Parker, and says of the hole at linebacker: “What about linebacker? I think that gets addressed in the trade market.”

A 183-tackle All-Pro suddenly wearing the Star? The NFC East just received its loudest warning yet.