Cowboys NFL Trade Buzz Could Result in Blockbuster Move in 2026 Draft

NFL Draft guru Todd McShay says there is "a lot of buzz" about the Dallas Cowboys moving up in the 2026 NFL Draft and he connected Dallas to a team picking in the top five.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys have endless possibilities when it comes to what they could do in the first round 2026 NFL draft.

Not only could the Cowboys stick and pick with both selections, they could trade up or down from either one.

And, with those two first-rounders, the Cowboys could get very aggressive in a move up to land a prospect they covet.

That's a scenario NFL Draft guru Todd McShay has laid out based on what he calls "buzz" surrounding Dallas.

Cowboys-Cardinals blockbuster trade idea

Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

On his podcast, "The McShay Show," he mentioned that there is "a lot of buzz" about the Cowboys possibly trading up, and McShay thinks the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 overall could be a match.

McShay goes on to suggest that, if the Cowboys do make such a massive move up, they should go after Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, which is logical because Dallas has a need at the position.

"Trading out of No. 3 remains one of the priorities, or one of the things that could absolutely happen with Arizona," McShay said. "There's a lot of buzz about Dallas, and what comes to the noise, with Dallas trading up from 12 to three to get Bailey, right?"

"Keep it in state. Texas Tech, pass rusher. Most importantly, they've put all their efforts into rebuilding that defense over the last year," McShay added.

Can the Cowboys pull this trade off?

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

With two first-round picks, they absolutely can. However, it remains to be seen if Dallas would want to do that.

In an ideal world, the Cowboys figure out a way to swing this trade and still keep one of their first-rounders, but it's highly unlikely they'd be able to do that, especially with the team having just one Day 2 selection.

According to the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart, Dallas' No. 12 and 20 picks are worth 2,050 points, while Arizona's pick is worth 2,200. So, not even those two selections are an even match.

That means Dallas might have to give up their top-two selections plus another pick to even it out. The Cowboys could choose to dip heavily into their 2027 stable, but those picks are borderline gold because of how highly next year's class is thought of.

While two first-round picks would be tough to pass up on, one has to wonder if the rebuilding Cardinals would even be willing to move that far back.

That said, if there was an offer good enough to tempt a team in Arizona's position to move back that far, it would be this one.