Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft Trade Rumor Could Lead to Blockbuster Deal in Round 1

The Dallas Cowboys have the ammo to make a huge trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft and it looks like that's a very real possibility.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

One of the slew of possibilities for the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is a trade up.

Dallas should look to get aggressive in its quest to improve the defense and the Cowboys are well-equipped to be aggressive thanks to a pair of first-round picks, one at 12 and another at 20.

One team that the Cowboys should have their sights set on for a possible trade up is the Cleveland Browns, who many around the league believe could trade out of the No. 6 spot.

Cowboys NFL Draft trade rumor

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

According to ESPN's Matt Miller, the belief in league circles is the Browns are willing to trade out of their top-six pick. Not only that, Miller says the Cowboys are trying to trade up for an EDGE and it's believed they are a prime candidate to strike a deal with Cleveland.

"It should be noted that some leaguewide sources believe the Browns would trade out from No. 6 to a team like Dallas, which is trying to move up for a pass rusher," Miller reported.

It's not hard to see why the Cowboys would be aggressive to move up for an edge rusher. Dallas never replaced the sack production lost by the highly questionable Micah Parsons trade and there is still a hole to be filled opposite Rashan Gary.

What a Cowboys-Browns trade could look like

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

According to the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart, the Browns' No. 6 pick is worth 1,600 points. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' No. 12 pick is valued at 1,200 points, which means there are at least 400 points to make up. We say at least because Dallas might have to pay extra to convince Cleveland to move back that far.

In an ideal world, the Cowboys trade up but still make their two first-round selections, but that might be impossible to do with Dallas not having any second-round picks to work with.

A more realistic scenario is the Cowboys give up both of their first-round picks (2,050 points) and get the Browns' No. 6 selection and their early second-round pick (2,100 total points). From there, Dallas can toss in another pick, and ideally its fourth-rounder.

Which edge rusher could Cowboys trade up for?

Texas Tech defensive lineman David Bailey. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Two edge rushers projected to have a chance to go around the No. 6 pick are Texas Tech's David Bailey and Miami's Rueben Bain, although Bain's projections have been a bit more inconsistent and he could fall outside the top 10, something Miller has said before.

Then there's Arvell Reese, who is widely projected to be off the board in the picks before No. 6. But if he were to somehow fall to the Browns' spot, Dallas might throw everything including the kitchen sink at Cleveland to move up to get him.

Barring a major surprise, those three prospects are really the only edge rushers we could see Jerry Jones and Co. trading up for. A massive move up for anyone else would be viewed as a mistake.