Getty

The Dallas Cowboys are being linked to a strong, $44 million tight end trade during the 2026 NFL draft to beef up their roster.

The Dallas Cowboys are far from a hot mess going into the 2026 NFL draft, but they have some holes in their lineup that Jerry Jones needs to fill. One of those is beefing up tight end depth and finding a suitable backup for Jake Ferguson.

The Cowboys could always snag a developing tight end in the 2026 NFL draft, but anyone they draft will have to be developed, and that takes time that the Cowboys simply don’t have. So, instead, Jones could shake things up and make a fiery trade that makes jaws drop across the NFL.

Now, one NFL analyst thinks the Dallas Cowboys could do just that and trade for a developed, veteran tight end amid the 2026 NFL draft. In a Tuesday, April 14 feature for FanSided, Jake Beckman plunks one standout tight end for the Cowboys.

Dallas Cowboys Trade Idea Brings Veteran Tight End to Texas to Beef Up Position Depth

In the piece, Beckman pairs Kyle Pitts of the Atlanta Falcons with the Dallas Cowboys in a flashy trade. He also names the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots as teams of interest.

“A Pitts trade would be a lot of fun because he could easily be worth a first-round pick, or he could be worth four or five other picks,” he notes in the feature. “If Ian Cunningham, their new GM, catches wind of a team trying to trade up to get Kenyon Sadiq, the only tight end with a first-round grade, and that team can’t get a deal done, he should give them a call and offer Pitts.”

Beckman fits Pitts with the Cowboys simply because Dallas has “a lot of draft picks.” He adds that “there are a lot of teams that could use a guy like Kyle Pitts, and they’d almost definitely use him better than the Falcons.” Pitts has career earnings of around $44 million, according to research from Spotrac.

So, would Jones be cool with this deal? It’s possible, but I could see him going even bigger and doing an even larger trade on draft night. While Pitts would be of great use on the Cowboys’ squad, he just doesn’t seem like the kind of player that would interest Jones enough to entertain a major trade.

Another Projected Dallas Cowboys 2026 Draft Night Move, This One Trading Up

Over at ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. projects the Dallas Cowboys to trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 6 in the first round. With that pick, they would take Sonny Styles, linebacker, out of Ohio State.

“Dallas wasn’t stopping anyone last season,” he says in the piece. “It allowed 6.1 yards per play, second worst in the NFL. It allowed 30.1 points per game, worst in the NFL. And it was far and away the league’s least effective defense by EPA.”

Kiper also descries Styles as “explosive” and “productive” and his No. 4 prospect. But, while Styles would certainly provide good depth for the Dallas Cowboys, being a rookie, it’s hard to see how much impact he’d bring the team off the bat. For that reason, it’s difficult to imagine Jones working out this deal, either.

Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson