Grading the trade: Dallas Cowboys’ move for EDGE Rashan Gary is being criticized for the wrong reason

The Dallas Cowboys kicked off free agency frenzy before it even began with a trade for a starting-caliber edge rusher.

Mar 9, 2026 10:21 AM EDT

Nov 10, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Rashan Gary (52) during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field. — Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys failed to trade for Maxx Crosby last weekend but now get a former-first round EDGE rusher in Rashan Gary.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cowboys are giving up a 2027 fourth-round pick for Gary.

Though the deal gives the Cowboys a significant upgrade at edge rusher with serious upside, the compensation is already controversial, as fans and media members wonder if Dallas paid too much. Let’s dive in.

Cowboys trade is getting knocked for the wrong reason

The main thing about the Cowboys’ trade for Gary that is being criticized is the fact that a fourth-rounder is a bit too rich for someone who was expected to be a cap casualty for the Packers. At first glance, that much is understandable.

But a closer look suggests it’s really not that much. First and foremost, the pick the Cowboys are giving up is for the 2027 NFL Draft, not one for this year. For a team that is looking to rush a defensive rebuild to win now, that’s not a bad deal.

Additionally, as Jason Fitzgerald from Over the Cap noted on social media, “last year’s market for cut defensive linemen went wild.” By giving up a 2027 Day 3 pick, the Cowboys make sure they land him over other bidding teams, and they avoid the contract drama and get an immediate upgrade at edge rusher.

What will really matter is if Gary stays healthy and what kind of production he brings to the table. The Cowboys have many reasons to believe he’ll be successful.

What the Cowboys are getting in Gary

The obvious connection here is that new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker was around for Gary’s first couple of years in Green Bay. Now, he gets him for his first ever defense as coordinator.

For more insight on Gary, I reached out to our own Packers expert Wendell Ferreira.

“Rashan Gary should have been a Cowboy last year,” Ferreira says. “When it was announced that the Packers had sent Dallas a player in the Micah Parsons trade, the wide expectation was that it would be Gary. Seven months later, it’s finally happened. Rashan Gary is the definition of unrealized potential. The Packers took him ahead of guys like Brian Burns and Montez Sweat in the draft back in 2019 right after signing Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith in free agency with plans to slowly develop an athletic but raw edge defender. That eventually happened, and Gary became a full-time player by Year 3.”

“But right when Gary was reaching his prime, he tore his ACL,” he adds. “He even returned from injury playing well and received a big contract extension, but his level came back to Earth over the past two years. Last season, Gary had 7.5 sacks in the first seven games of the year playing alongside Micah Parsons, but zero sacks in the final nine games — he didn’t play the regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

“He didn’t have any sacks against the Chicago Bears in the playoff either. Overall, Gary generated 54 pressures in 2025, more than his 47 in 2024 but well behind his career-high 81 in 2021. He played better against the run, but the lack of production as a pass rusher simply didn’t justify his big salary. Maybe under different circumstances, his value could be better for his next destination.”