Could the Dallas Cowboys jump up in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft?
Regardless of how many first-round picks the Dallas Cowboys have in the upcoming NFL Draft (they have two), there remains a ton of work needed to make this defense resemble something of contending in 2026.
It will require a well-rounded effort this offseason to equip new defensive coordinator Christian Parker with competent players on all three levels that don't just complete the team now, but offer building opportunities for the young coordinator and coach Brian Schottenheimer going forward.
The typical way Dallas addresses this need, of course, is the NFL Draft, where they've maintained a solid hit rate at the top of the board. Aggression, however, is something we saw last offseason with a trade to acquire George Pickens, and during the year with another blockbuster for Quinnen Williams.
Now there's a blockbuster trade mocked by the Cowboys that attacks the top of this year's college talent pool.
The fellas at 105.3 The Fan in Dallas had the proposition of Dallas trading both of its first-rounders (picks No. 12 and No. 20) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for their No. 6 pick. The Cowboys would also inherit pick No. 39, according to what seems like a fit on the infamous Trade Value Chart adopted by Jimmy Johnson.
The ultimate prize? Dallas drafts Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who radio host Zack Wolchuk believes is "the best player in the draft."
Dating all the way back to his true freshman season as a starter at Alabama, Downs has been looked at as a generational safety prospect. He was a two-time All-American with the Buckeyes and the type of versatility and range at the position that makes scouts drool thinking about his upside.
It's highly unlikely that Downs drops out of the top 10, and with the NFC East's Washington Commanders sitting there at No. 7, Cleveland looks to be a place where Dallas can rise and potentially swipe a blue-chip talent from their rivals
Former Cowboys scout/Fan host Bryan Broaddus initially reacts to this swap as a "big-time overpay", but the No. 39 pick landing at the top part of Round 2 makes things easier to swallow.
Most importantly, it addresses arguably the most dire position group of need in Dallas: the secondary.
Starting safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson will both be over 30 years old entering 2026 and neither have offered much in the way of proving their age and injury risk are worth consistent action over going with a youth movement, something the Cowboys are already in the midst of coaching-wise.
Additionally, uniting Downs with a former secondary coach in Parker creates that foundational element that you can "trust the process" in, which may be one of our last-resort mindsets with this defense this season.
Our Mike Fisher often notes that Dallas doesn't value safeties in a way that would lead to an idea like this.
But maybe Downs is just that special.
In the end, maybe a good way to get the repair started is by keeping the foot on the gas and making an aggressive gamble like this if the Cowboys, like many others, see Downs as a plug-and-play piece that can make an immediate impact in this draft.