3 players the Dallas Cowboys could trade for Xavien Howard

Jaylon Smith, LB

The Cowboys have a surplus of linebackers currently on their bloated depth chart. And finding a way to get them all playing time will be difficult if this group remains healthy.

Dallas used their first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft on Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, who has looked terrific this summer. It’s hard to imagine Parsons not being heavily involved as a rookie and potentially as a starter.

The Cowboys also drafted LSU linebacker Jabril Cox in the fourth round. On top of shifting free agent safety Keanu Neal to linebacker this offseason, the depth chart in Dallas is overflowing with talent.

In the offseason, the Cowboys refused to pick up the fifth-year option on former Pro Bowl linebacker Leighton Vander Esch presumably due to his recent injury history. And Jaylon Smith is coming off two declining seasons despite earning a Pro Bowl in 2019 and finishing second in the NFL in total tackles (154) last year.

Out of this group, it would seem Smith would be the preferred trade asset as the Cowboys were rumored to be shopping him during the draft in April. But the Dolphins may prefer someone like Vander Esch instead.