After going 7-9-1 this season and missing the playoffs for the second straight time, the Dallas Cowboys need many things right now. The biggest thing they need is help on the defensive side of the football, where they ranked dead last in points allowed and passing yards allowed this year.
They’re still reeling from what many agree was an ill-advised trade prior to Week 1 that sent superstar Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks. Since they’re over the salary cap, they don’t have many options when it comes to improving their roster.
NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah hinted at a major and bold move to upgrade the Cowboys’ porous defense: trading this year’s No. 20 pick in the draft, which they acquired for Parsons from Green Bay, to the Kansas City Chiefs for standout cornerback Trent McDuffie. In this trade, that pick would become University of Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor.
“After taking a CB at No. 12, the Cowboys nab an edge rusher,” Jeremiah wrote. “Teams might have to get comfortable with Mesidor's age — he will be a 25-year-old rookie — but he was dominant during Miami's run in the College Football Playoff. Then again, if the Chiefs would take this pick in a trade for Trent McDuffie (entering the final year of his rookie deal), the Cowboys would solve their secondary issues in the blink of an eye.”
McDuffie has had four strong seasons in the NFL ever since he was the No. 21 pick in the 2022 draft. He started on two Super Bowl championship-winning teams and made the All-Pro First Team in 2023 with seven passes defended, nine quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.
He’s the type of player who could single-handedly start turning Dallas’ fortunes around.
Just a couple of years ago, Dallas had plenty of talent in its secondary thanks to stars such as DaRon Bland, Stephon Gilmore and Trevon Diggs. But Diggs’ game has declined since, and Dallas released him midway through 2025, while Gilmore departed in free agency after the 2023 campaign.
Kansas City may be forced to let McDuffie go in order to save money. He’s going into the final year of his contract, and his salary cap hit for 2026 will go from $4.46 million to $13.6 million. He could end up demanding close to $30 million a year on his next contract, which could be way too much for a Chiefs team that is currently over the salary cap, especially with a ton of money due to star defensive tackle Chris Jones over the next few years.
One way or another, the Cowboys will need to be bold if they are to become competitive again, let alone reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1995.
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