The Dallas Cowboys are known to be “discussing” a potential trade for All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks of the Miami Dolphins. The only problem? The Dolphins are unlikely to give him away that easily.

Sure, the Dolphins are in rebuild mode, recently shipping away safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. But with seven Top 100 draft picks, they have what they need going into the 2026 NFL Draft. To give up one of their best players, they’ll need to hear a strong offer.

With two first-round draft picks, the Cowboys have a unique advantage if they play it smart while still getting to pick twice in the Top 30. But first, some context as to why I’m even proposing such a deal.

Cowboys need to blow the Dolphins away

Recently, when news broke about the Cowboys looking into a potential trade for Brooks, my reaction was to put together a quick trade package I thought the Dolphins would accept. I proposed dealing the third-round pick the Cowboys got for DT Osa Odighizuwa (No. 92 overall), while getting Brooks and a fifth-round pick (No. 151 overall) in return.

However, my friend Kyle Crabbs, who covers the Dolphins here at A to Z Sports, quickly hit me with a bucket of cold water when he wrote this about my offer: “If that’s the best asset Dallas can realistically bring to the table (they do own picks 12 and 20 in the first round), a higher draft selection in 2027 may need to be bundled with Brooks for it to be considered a worthwhile discussion for Miami. Like the Waddle deal, the Dolphins should be expecting teams to blow them away.”

That took me right back to the drawing board as I pretended to be the Cowboys GM.

That’s when I thought, what if the Cowboys and Dolphins get creative and make a deal involving their four combined first-round picks for the 2026 NFL Draft to make something work?

Trade scenario

• Cowboys get:
  • LB Jordyn Brooks
  • Pick No. 11 overall
  • Pick No. 30 overall
• Dolphins get:
  • Pick No. 12 overall
  • Pick No. 20 overall
  • Pick No. 92 overall

In this scenario, the Dolphins let the Cowboys jump up one spot in the Top 15, while they get to jump 10 spots in the backend of the first round. And they get a third-round pick, as well. That’s one more Top 100 pick and much better first-round value.

Would that work for Miami? Let’s ask Kyle Crabbs.

Would the Dolphins make such a deal?

Crabbs: “Jordyn Brooks was a sensational talent in 2025. He was excellent in 2024 as well, but the way he ascended as Miami needed him to be a bigger leader in 2025. His status as a contract year player on the fringes of 30 years old does make him a less obvious talent for Miami to tie themselves to long-term but his loss would hurt this roster tremendously amid an already steepening leadership vacuum on defense. Miami has already shipped out Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jaelan Phillips, and Rasul Douglas as leaders off of last year’s unit.

“For a Brooks deal to materialize, I do think two things need to happen: Miami needs to get surplus value and they need to come out of the exchange with more draft picks than they’re currently scheduled for (11).

“This trade idea does, indeed, accomplish both. Miami would pick up it’s 8th top-100 pick with the third-round pick from Dallas while moving up into a whole different tier in the back half of the first round. And the first pick dropping from no. 11 to no. 12 does make it a cheaper contract, too. Cost is a big talking point in South Florida these days.

“The Rich Hill trade value chart values Brooks as an asset equal to the 54th overall pick in the draft. That’s probably a stratosphere of total value that would force the Dolphins to consider their options.”

So there you go. If the Cowboys badly want Brooks (which they should), they’re in a unique position to offer the Dolphins an enticing Day 2 pick combined with an improved position in the first round. Let’s see if they capitalize on it.