Very few teams have been as ready to wheel and deal over the last year as the Dallas Cowboys. We probably shouldn't expect anything to change in the 2026 offseason, and a recent trade idea floated by Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com would be a stroke of pure genius.
Jeremiah posted his latest 2026 NFL mock draft, which didn't include any projected trades, but he did float the idea of the Cowboys using one of their picks to make a substantial one.
Jeremiah suggested that the Cowboys should float the 20th overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for star cornerback Trent McDuffie, and see if the Chiefs would bite with their cap situation looking brutal and McDuffie in the final year of his rookie deal.
Daniel Jeremiah suggests Cowboys blockbuster trade for Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie
Jeremiah's mock draft has the Cowboys selecting Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy in the 12th overall slot before taking Miami pass rusher Akheem Mesidor with the 20th pick. And in his explanation of the selection of Mesidor, he dropped this nugget:
"After taking a CB at No. 12, the Cowboys nab an edge rusher. 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."
This year's draft class does a great job of lining up well with what the Cowboys need to address while simultaneously allowing them to leverage a 1st-round pick for a blockbuster type of trade like this.
The Cowboys believe they are in a championship window with Dak Prescott at the quarterback position. They've done a pretty hard reset on the defensive side of the ball over the last calendar year, moving on from Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs while also bringing in new foundational pieces like Quinnen Williams. They've also brought in Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator.
But the work on that side of the ball is not done, not even close.
A trade for someone like McDuffie would be incredible for Dallas, even though you would lose that dart with the 20th overall pick.
And in the event that the Cowboys would use the 20th pick to trade for McDuffie in this hypothetical scenario, the focus and attention would shift back to the likes of Sonny Styles for that 12th overall pick instead of another corner.
This mock draft scenario from Jeremiah, if nothing else, really emphasizes the need for Dallas to be exploring scenarios of trading their first-round selections for players like McDuffie, or whoever might be available.
The selection of a player like McCoy would be controversial because he's coming off a torn ACL and a lost season, as talented as he is.
And as Jeremiah points out, Mesidor is going to be 25 as a rookie and might legitimately be the best option at 20 overall. Those are the types of prospects you can easily justify passing on and going after veterans who can upgrade your defense right now.