Dallas Cowboys News
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The Cowboys are being pushed to make a blockbuster trade.
The Dallas Cowboys are in the early stages of a long NFL offseason, and there are no shortage of rumors about the team’s potential plans. In addition to NFL free agency, the Cowboys could turn to the trade market to bolster the team’s roster.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine offered potential trade pitches for every NFL team. The analyst has the Cowboys targeting Pittsburgh Steelers star cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Dallas lands Ramsey for just a fifth-round pick (No. 150 overall) in the 2026 NFL draft in the proposed trade, a bargain deal for an 8-time Pro Bowler.
“Jalen Ramsey has been connected to the Dallas Cowboys since he entered the league,” Ballentine wrote in a February 20, 2026, story titled, “1 Trade We’d Like to See for Every NFL Team.” “The star defensive back has said the team told him they would draft him when they chose Ezekiel Elliott in the 2016 draft.
“Dallas also came up as a potential suitor when the Dolphins were potentially looking to trade Ramsey last spring, although Cowboys insider Ed Werder refuted the report,” Ballentine added.
“Still, one year later and the Cowboys have a need in the defensive backfield. They released Trevon Diggs at the end of the season and DaRon Bland is the only sure thing coming back next season.”
Let’s dive into Ramsey’s potential fit on the Cowboys.
Potential Cowboys Trade Target Jalen Ramsey’s 4-Year, $84 Million Contract Is Slated To Go Through the 2028 Season
Part of the reason why the Steelers could be willing to cut ties with Ramsey is the veteran’s sizable contract. Ramsey’s four-year, $84.7 million contract is slated to go through the 2028 season.
The star corner’s cap hit is set to jump from $4.9 million to $17.2 million in 2026. Dallas already cut ties with Trevon Diggs and may not be eager to take on another hefty deal.
Ramsey posted 88 tackles (tied for a career high), eight pass deflections, three sacks and one interception in 17 starts during the 2025 season, earning a Pro Bowl appearance. The defender has made the Pro Bowl in five of the last six seasons.
New Cowboys DC Christian Parker Could Impact Dallas’ Plans in NFL Free Agency
It will be worth watching how the hiring of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker will impact the Cowboys’ upcoming roster moves. Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay outlined how the team will approach NFL free agency.
“We’ll go through the free agency period, there’s some good players out there,” McClay noted, per DallasCowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish. “We’ll have to figure out from a cap standpoint and all that stuff, but there are some good players out there. And we want to address it, but we want to address it the right way with the right kind of guys.”
“Once we get the full staff together, and we’ll get a lot of experience from different places that will give us input on players that they’ve coached before, coached against, so it just adds to it and we’ll find the right guys if we’re able to do some things in free agency.”