Cowboys' Offseason Improvements Make Breakout Star EDGE 2026 Trade Candidate

The Dallas Cowboys made it a priority to improve on defense during the NFL offseason, after finishing the 2025 campaign with one of the most putrid units in the league. Dallas did just that with some key free agent signings and with an impressive haul in the 2026 NFL draft.

Dallas also traded for Green Bay Packers Pro Bowl EDGE Rashan Gary at the start of the new year, which adds another key player to the pass-rushing rotation.

When you pair Gary with first-round pick Malachi Lawrence, rising star Donovan Ezeiruaku, and promising EDGE Sam Williams, who is a favorite of the coaching staff, the team finally finds itself with a surplus of players at the position.

Unfortunately for veteran pass rusher James Houston, who had a bounce-back year with the Cowboys last season, it could leave him on the outs. But for Dallas, it provides an opportunity to dangle Houston as trade bait during training camp and the preseason.

Could James Houston Get Traded?

Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston kneels before the start of the game against the Carolina Panthers | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Moe Moton of Bleacher Report recently named Houston as a player the Cowboys should consider trading, pointing out how he could find himself buried on the depth chart in 2026.

If Dallas decides to make Houston available for a trade, the team could land a solid return.

"As a designated pass-rusher, James Houston recorded 5.5 sacks and 19 pressures while on the field for 28 percent of the defensive snaps last season," Moton wrote. "The Cowboys' roster additions could bury Houston on the depth chart. Rather than play the fifth-year pro sparingly, Dallas can trade him to an edge-rusher-needy team for an early Day 3 pick."

Dallas is currently back in the building at The Star for the start of organized team activities, and mandatory minicamp is set to begin later this month, so we'll have to see how quickly the Cowboys' new additions can get in defensive coordinator Christian Parker's scheme. If there is no learning curve for Gary and Lawrence, the option to trade Houston is more intriguing than ever.

It will certainly be something to keep an eye on over the next few weeks at OTAs, which run through Thursday, June 11, and mandatory minicamp, which takes place from Thursday, June 16 through Saturday, June 20.

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