​The Cowboys’ linebacker situation remains unsettled despite the team making changes to its front seven this offseason. Dee Winters and DeMarvion Overshown are slated as the Week 1 starters, but the Cowboys are counting on younger options to push for the third linebacker spot, with Shemar James and Jaishawn Barham in the mix. The unit lacks experienced depth, which has some observers wondering if a trade could provide a swift upgrade. MIami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks has been floated as a logical target to solidify the middle, a notion highlighted by SI’s Mike Moraitis.
The current group’s limitations are increasingly clear. Winters is a capable starter, but not dominant in all aspects of the run and pass game. Overshown has been slowed by serious knee injuries that have hampered him over the past two seasons. James and Barham, while promising, have limited NFL game experience and aren’t proven at the professional level yet. Those uncertainties pose a risk for a defense that allowed a league-worst 30.1 points per game in 2025, making the need for a reliable run-stopping presence more pressing than ever. Brooks would address several of these concerns by providing immediate impact in the middle.
Brooks, 28, Just finished an All-Pro season and would bring a much-needed boost to Dallas’s run defense, according to Moraitis, who described him as “the doctor-ordered” addition that would also inject more speed into the unit. The financials align for both sides. Miami is in a rebuild phase under general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, and Brooks is in the final year of his contract without an extension in place. Moraitis suggested that it would be prudent for the Dolphins to capitalize while Brooks remains a valuable asset, potentially on the decline by the time their rebuild progresses. For Dallas, pairing an All-Pro run defender with Overshown would resolve months of debated options, including veteran Bobby Wagner as a potential backup.
No deal is imminent. Dallas has been connected to Brooks since the spring, but nothing has been finalized, and Miami has not publicly declared him available. Nevertheless, if the Cowboys are intent on stabilizing their linebackers before Week 1, Brooks stands out as the most effective option. A trade could provide the kind of top-tier projection that the unit desperately needs without waiting for a longer development curve from younger players. In the broader context, this move would also send a clear message about Dallas’s willingness to address defensive shortcomings promptly rather than letting concerns linger into the regular season.