There is no need to rehash history. The Dallas Cowboys’ defense was an abject disaster during the 2025 campaign, and the front office is taking steps to rectify the mistake that was hiring Matt Eberflus in the first place.
With Christian Parker leading the charge after being hired away from the Philadelphia Eagles, this group will have a new voice calling the shots—a much-needed breath of fresh air for any holdovers from last season. While that is all well and good, the players on the field are the ones who will ultimately make the difference when it comes to wins and losses. This is why the team’s hunt for a middle linebacker is of utmost importance as we move deeper into the offseason.
Despite striking out on several other options, Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair is entering the final year of his contract, and Todd Archer of ESPN.com recently floated his name as a possibility for Dallas via trade.
“Azeez Al-Shaair, also 29, had 103 tackles for the Houston Texans, one of the best defenses in the league. He plays with an attitude (sometimes gets too far over the edge) and is set to make $11 million in 2026,” Archer wrote.
Adding some attitude—especially when it is backed up with production—to what was a defense that was routinely pushed around last season is enough to make the Texans’ defender intriguing for Cowboys fans. If Dallas is unable to find a suitable addition at this spot on the free-agent market—an outcome that appears less likely with each passing day—then the front office could be forced to use some of its draft capital to acquire a veteran, as he is reportedly on the team’s radar.
The Cowboys could likely part ways with the third-round pick acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in any trade scenario involving Al-Shaair. Obviously, Dallas would rather make all eight of its draft picks on their own, but if that is the going rate for a 28-year-old linebacker coming off a 103-tackle season for the best defense in the NFL, Jerry Jones and company should be willing to bite that bullet and make a deal.
The Cowboys need playmakers, and Al-Shaair fits that bill as proven by his Pro Bowl selection in 2025. A defense with a bit more edge to it won’t have fans complaining in the Lone Star State, either. After making the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Al-Shaair has been playing with a chip on his shoulder his entire professional career. Putting that sort of defensive weapon behind the talented d-line that is already in place should only make life easier on the rest of the defense as a whole.
Enough with the excuses. This isn’t a patchwork fix; it’s a direct injection of proven production and unrelenting physicality into a unit that desperately needed both. Al-Shaair doesn’t come with question marks—he comes with 103 tackles, a Pro Bowl pedigree, and the kind of venomous attitude that turns average defenses into something opponents fear. Dallas just found its hammer. Now the only question left is whether the front office has the courage to swing it.
