The Dallas Cowboys still have a gaping hole at inside linebacker heading into Day 2 of the NFL draft, and the search for help may not come from the board. After a first-round trade with the Eagles that brought Dallas two fourth-round picks in a move from No. 20 to No. 23, the Cowboys are being linked to veteran linebacker options again, with speculation centering on Jordyn Brooks of the Dolphins.
The need has been building for a while. Leighton Vander Esch’s neck injury was learned in 2023, Markquese Bell filled in after that, and Eric Kendricks in 2024 and Kenneth Murray in 2025 were both one-year answers. None solved the problem long term. That is why Jon Machota said the Cowboys should not be expected to trade into the second round to take a linebacker and that the likeliest path is a veteran trade, not a draft-day swing for one.
Machota’s view matched the way Dallas has operated around the position. Brian Schottenheimer has spoken highly of Bobby Wagner, who remains unsigned, and there has also been Miami-based speculation about Jordyn Brooks as a possible target for the Cowboys. A report from Miami said Dallas and Miami had at least discussed a trade, adding to the sense that the front office is still working the veteran market while the draft board keeps moving.
The Cowboys’ approach also fits what Stephen Jones said after Day 1. He said the team had no intention of moving George Pickens and that Pickens will sign the team’s franchise tag contract for one year and $27.3 million. Jones also said Dallas was talking to teams about veteran players who could help and acknowledged the roster was improved but still incomplete after free agency.
That is the tension in Dallas right now. The Cowboys added draft capital, kept Pickens, and still left the first night without an inside linebacker who looks like a long-term fix. If they do not use Day 2 to solve it, the most likely answer may come from another trade, and the name to watch is not a rookie anymore.