Travon Walker
Getty
Travon Walker of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Dallas Cowboys have made it no secret that defense is their top priority this offseason.
After finishing 30th in yards allowed and dead last in points against in 2025, the front office has already moved to acquire edge rusher Rashan Gary via trade and signed several defensive backs. They could still use some help on the defensive line, though.
Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Georgia, is entering the final year of his rookie deal on a fully guaranteed fifth-year option worth roughly $15.2 million. The Jaguars picked up that option last April, but extension talks have stalled, and Jacksonville faces a tight cap situation heading into 2026 with just $8 million in projected space.
Cowboys Wire’s K. D. Drummond thinks a trade for Walker might be a good move for Dallas to make next.
Should the Dallas Cowboys Try to Trade for Travon Walker?
GettyShould the Dallas Cowboys try to trade for Travon Walker of the Jacksonville Jaguars?
“For whatever reason, the Jaguars have been slow to sign Walker to an extension, so one would have to think they’d at least consider a trade offer, especially if they were able to replace him in the draft,” Drummond wrote on March 24. “Without a first-round pick, perhaps they’d be interested in swap that included Walker and Dallas’ No. 20 selection.”
Walker arrived in the NFL as a polarizing pick. Many analysts had Aidan Hutchinson as the consensus top selection, but the Jaguars bet on Walker’s rare combination of size (6-foot-5, 272 pounds) and athleticism. The early returns were modest — just 3.5 sacks and 49 tackles across 15 games as a rookie.
But a breakout followed. Walker posted 10 sacks and 52 tackles in 2023, followed by a career-best 2024 campaign: 10.5 sacks, 61 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a 35-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
But 2025 told a different story. A wrist injury sustained in Week 4 against San Francisco required surgery, and Walker missed time before returning to play with a club on his hand. Then a knee injury in Week 11 against the Chargers cost him two more games. He finished with just 3.5 sacks and 38 tackles in 14 games — a significant step backward.
So, would the Cowboys’ No. 20 overall pick be worth his services? Maybe — but Dallas has several other needs to consider when draft day hits.
The Cowboys Could Also Use Some Major Help at Linebacker
The Cowboys’ linebacker situation is also a bit dire at the moment.
Dallas released veteran Logan Wilson in February, clearing $6.5 million in cap space but leaving DeMarvion Overshown as the only returning starter. Overshown has dealt with two major knee injuries in three NFL seasons and has never played a full year. Behind him, 2025 fifth-round pick Shemar James was thrust into 500 snaps out of necessity as a rookie, and Marist Liufau is converting to outside linebacker under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Dallas also missed on several top free-agent linebackers this offseason, whiffing on Nakobe Dean, Devin Lloyd and Quay Walker. The Cowboys hold the 12th and 20th picks in the 2026 draft and are expected to target a linebacker with one of them — Georgia’s CJ Allen and Penn State’s Sonny Styles are the consensus top prospects — but relying solely on a rookie to anchor the middle of a defense that just finished last in scoring is a risky proposition.
We’ll see if the Cowboys make any more big moves — a trade for Walker or starting-caliber LB would qualify — heading into April’s draft.