Khalil Mack headlines four defensive trade candidates after Dallas Cowboys land Joey Porter Jr.
Cowboys trade for Joey Porter Jr. puts the spotlight on four defensive players who could be the next to move
Joey Porter Jr. is a Dallas Cowboy. And just like that, the 2026 NFL trade deadline conversation has shifted into a new gear on the defensive side of the ball.
The Pittsburgh Steelers moving a cornerback in his prime to the Cowboys is exactly the kind of domino that gets other front offices picking up the phone. Pass rushers, corners, veteran defenders on expiring contracts sitting on teams going nowhere fast. The market is heating up, and there are several names that could follow Porter out the door before November.
On the ‘4th and Football Podcast’, Kyle Crabbs and Garret Greenlee discussed defensive players who could become trade candidates as the 2026 NFL deadline approaches. Watch their full conversation on the A to Z Media, LLC YouTube channel below.
Khalil Mack and the Chargers feel like a divorce waiting to happen
The Los Angeles Chargers are 0-3. They play at Seattle this week, and it would be genuinely shocking if they aren’t 0-4 after that. Khalil Mack is a former Defensive Player of the Year, a future Hall of Famer, and a player who almost assuredly would love to play out the rest of his career on a team that’s not destined for…whatever the Chargers will be this year.
Mack’s response to Jim Harbaugh’s locker room message after a Week 2 loss raised some eyebrows. “Honestly, I blanked out,” said Mack. Those kind of signals suggest a change of scenery might be best for everyone involved.
Any contending team looking for pass rush help could use Mack, even at this stage of his career. Mack still has the ability to contribute in a rotational role on a team with real aspirations.
Kayvon Thibodeaux was an obvious name for the Giants…before the Brian Burns injury
This one made all the sense in the world before Brian Burns tore his ACL. The New York Giants still boast a pair of studs in Abdul Carter and first-round pick Arvell Reese who can rush the passer. And, of course a former top-10 pick in Kayvon Thibodeaux playing on his fifth-year option.
But Burns going down changes the calculus. Now the question becomes whether New York feels it needs Thibodeaux to bridge the gap. They probably do. Or at least they should! No, he’s never really developed past a certain point and he hasn’t made the leap you want. But he’s a central piece as the Giants aspire to contend now that Burns is hurt.
Would it stay that way if New York falls off the pace? If the Giants tumble over the next month, it could be worth asking if a mid-round pick for Thibodeaux at the NFL trade deadline is more valuable than the (potential) compensatory pick math of letting him walk in free agency.
Kristian Fulton is quietly becoming expendable in Kansas City
The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the NFL’s undefeated teams, but look at the snap distribution in their defensive backfield and an interesting picture emerges. Kristian Fulton is in a contract year after signing a tw0-year deal with the Chiefs in 2025. He’s owed $9.75 million in base salary, just turned 28, and he’s currently fourth on the pecking order in snaps.
Kansas City has Nohl Williams, rookie standout Mansoor Delane, and a returning L’Jarius Sneed rolling. That’s relegates Fulton to a depth role barring injuries.
The Chiefs only have $3.6 million in cap space. If they could offload half of Fulton’s salary by the deadline, perhaps the asset flexibility could be used to bring in help elsewhere at the NFL trade deadline That’s a parlay that makes sense for a team trying to tinker its way toward another championship run.
Josh Sweat speculation out of Arizona simply won’t die
Edge rusher Josh Sweat of the Arizona Cardinals is the other name that keeps surfacing despite Arizona’s best effort to squash speculation. Given his age, given where Arizona sits as a franchise, and given Sweat’s contract? It’s hard to dismiss completely.
There have been enough rumors around this situation in 2026 that it wouldn’t be surprising to see it come to life. Sweat’s playoff run when Philadelphia won the championship was a dynamic stretch of games. He has it in him to move the needle for a team. Put him on a defensive front with more disruptive talent around him and you may catch lightning in a bottle again.
Pass rushers get moved at the deadline more than almost any other position. This cycle should be no different.
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