The Dallas Cowboys have a chance to make a game-changing trade, and the argument against is overblown – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports
This would be a welcomed roster upgrade.
The Dallas Cowboys still have time to add a proven pass rusher before the 2026 season, and there’s a clearcut candidate waiting for them: Arizona Cardinals defensive end Josh Sweat.
Sweat, a Pro Bowl edge rusher who set a career high with 12 sacks in 2025, has become the subject of trade speculation after multiple NFL teams called the Cardinals about his availability. For a Cowboys defense that ranked among the NFL’s worst last season, acquiring Sweat would
provide something this team desperately lacks at the position: certainty.
The latest intel on Sweat’s situation
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Cardinals have received trade calls on Sweat. While he may not be officially on the trade block, there’s plenty of noise suggesting a split could make sense for both sides.
Sweat did not show up for OTAs this offseason and at least one insider, Johnny Venerables, has speculated Sweat isn’t exactly happy with the Cardinals.
And honestly, who could blame him? Arizona has done little to improve for 2026. The Cardinals have Jacoby Brissett in line to start at quarterback (if he gets a raise), let safety Jalen Thompson walk in free agency (he signed with Dallas, as Cowboys fans know well), and appear to be heading toward another difficult season. Some would dare accuse the front office of tanking. I wouldn’t blame them.Any deal would likely need to happen on or after June 1 because of salary cap mechanics. If the Cardinals trade Sweat post-June 1, his cap hit would land around $10.8 million for them in savings. That number would be acquired by whoever trades for him with the possibility of lowering it. For the Cowboys, the contract is manageable. Despite the original deal carrying a $76 million total value, Dallas could use the 2029 void year in Sweat’s contract to spread out the cap hit.
Financially, this is doable. Football wise? I believe it makes too much sense.
June 1st Cuts Can Help Dallas Find Defensive Help – Cody Warren, Inside The Star
Dallas has brought in upgrades defensively, but they need more.
1. Dorance Armstrong Jr., EDGE, Commanders
This one makes too much sense to me to not talk about.
Dorance Armstrong is a player the Commanders could cut ties with to save some cap space. For Dallas, this would not be some mystery evaluation because the Cowboys know exactly who Armstrong is.
They drafted him, and watched him grow into a dependable pass rusher.
I’m not saying Dorance Armstrong is some game-wrecking superstar, but he’s an edge defender who can give good snaps, set the edge, chase quarterbacks, and fit into a rotation without needing the whole defense built around him.
The NFC East part gives it extra spice, too. Bringing back a former Cowboy from Washington would get some attention, but the football part is what sells it. Dallas needs waves of pressure and Armstrong brings another wave.
2. Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE/LB, Seahawks
Uchenna Nwosu is the kind of name that doesn’t scream headline, but fits the job description.
Seattle’s roster lists Nwosu as a linebacker, and shows him at 6’2, 265 pounds with nine years of experience. He is credited with seven sacks during the Seahawks’ 2025 season.
That’s the kind of veteran pass rusher I would love to see Dallas pick up if the money doesn’t get weird.
Nwosu isn’t a luxury piece, but he is insurance. He’s the type of player I feel would keep the Cowboys from putting too much stress on the same pass rushers every week.
You can never have enough guys who can heat up the pocket, especially in a conference where every playoff road seems to run through quarterbacks who can make you pay if they get comfortable.
Dak Prescott Must Overcome Troubling Trend for Cowboys to Return to Playoffs – Mike Moraitis, SI.com
Dallas needs significant improvement from their offensive tackles.
Dak Prescott’s true biggest 2026 obstacle
We would put the Cowboys’ tackle situation ahead of the even-numbered year concern.
Dallas has question marks at both tackle spots after the struggles of Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele in recent years.
In his rookie campaign, Guyton gave up six sacks, 26 pressures, and committed 16 penalties in 15 games and posted Pro Football Focus grades of 51.3 in run-blocking and 60.2 in pass-blocking.
Then, in 2025, Guyton missed seven games due to injury and gave up two sacks and 31 pressures while committing seven penalties in the 10 games he did appear in.
The Cowboys have at least considered replacing Guyton with Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith, but as of right now it looks like the former first-round pick is going to get another shot.
Meanwhile, Steele has been a problem for three straight years, with the veteran surrendering 23 sacks and 147 pressures and being responsible for 21 penalties in that span.
The Cowboys are hoping that rookie Drew Shelton and/or 2024 seventh-round pick Nate Thomas can push the tackle duo, but expecting either one to win a starting job out of training camp might be expecting too much.
If Guyton and/or Steele prove to be a liability in 2026, the Cowboys are going to have a tough time offensively if Prescott can’t stay upright and healthy.
Looking back, this was when and how Cowboys showed this offseason was different – RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys
Things shifted this offseason in terms of how the Cowboys handle business.
This was when and how the Cowboys showed this offseason was different
Odds are that future historians will say that Caleb Downs falling to the Cowboys was when things change. It makes sense that this will even be true on some level.
But is that the point when the Cowboys showed the world that things were different? Downs was an amazing stroke of luck (and aggression by trading up), but that was partly out of their control. We want to look at something that was fully, and totally, up to them.
The real answer revolves around landing on Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator, but specifically when it happened. You will recall that the Cowboys moved on from Matt Eberflus shortly after the season ended and that they spent a couple of weeks searching for and interviewing candidates. But do you remember when they made the move for Parker?
It was January 22nd when everything came together on this front. That was a Thursday in case you forgot.
The reason this is notable is because that Thursday was the Thursday before the AFC Championship Game. The Denver Broncos were still alive, although nobody thought they’d win that game after Bo Nix’s injury, which meant that Jim Leonhard could not officially be signed yet. Many assumed that Dallas was waiting for Denver to be eliminated, but the Cowboys decided to make a decision with conviction and hired Parker. They didn’t leave anything to chance on what they themselves wanted to do.
Daily discussion question: Which player on the team do you trust the most?
