With June 1 fast approaching, the NFL may soon produce a pre-training camp trade frenzy.
If they haven't already, Dallas Cowboys fans can start the countdown to A.J. Brown no longer being in the division. It's practically written in stone that the Philadelphia Eagles will trade Brown to the New England Patriots.
That is celebration-worthy, but it would behoove Dallas to re-kick the tires on star linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who still hasn't signed a contract extension with the Miami Dolphins.
For that reason, Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus circled Brooks as one of 15 trade candidates to watch leading up to training camp.
"... Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has made it clear that he doesn’t want to overcommit finances now when the team is retooling. With Miami already extending De’Von Achane as well as drafting Jacob Rodriguez in the second round, Brooks — a 2027 free agent — is definitely expendable considering he doesn’t fit the team’s timeline."
The Dallas Cowboys can't squander the opportunity to trade for Jordyn Brooks
Brooks' future has become the elephant in the room for Miami.
Achane is a great player, but a rebuilding team giving a running back $16 million per year doesn't add up. However, Sullivan understands the importance of supporting new quarterback Malik Willis.
While Willis may not be the long-term answer, the Dolphins offloaded star wide receivers Tyreek Hill (released) and Jaylen Waddle (traded). By no means is Willis in a position to flourish, but trading Achane would have been setting him up to fail.
In the first year of a rebuild that many Dolphins diehards would argue is long overdue, giving Brooks a top-of-the-market deal after making Achane the third-highest-paid running back would be a questionable use of resources.
As Locker noted, Miami drafted Jacob Rodriguez No. 43 overall and used a fourth-round pick on Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis. Keeping Brooks would eat into their respective workloads, while trading him would free up snaps and save $8.375 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.
Cleaning up the cap is Sullivan's No. 1 priority after cutting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left behind $99.2 million in dead money
It's not like the Dolphins would lack veteran leadership if they trade Brooks. Seventh-year vet Tyrel Dodson is under contract for another year at a manageable $3.682 million cap hit. If Brooks nets a third-round pick, Miami would check two boxes in one move: clearing salary and adding draft capital to accelerate the rebuild.
The Cowboys' linebackers room is loaded with athleticism, but DeMarvion Overshown, Dee Winters, Jaishawn Barham, and Shemar James aren't scaring anyone. Add Brooks, and that changes overnight.
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