Pundits have linked the Dallas Cowboys to a few different 2026 NFL Draft trade scenarios. The team could be interested in a move up the board due to a desire to add one of the top defensive playmakers in the class.
With a second first-round pick, the Cowboys have the draft capital to make such a move possible.
On Saturday, CBS Sports’s Carter Bahns proposed a more rare way for Dallas to jump up into the top 10 — a trade with a division rival.
Bahns pitched the Cowboys send the No. 12 and 20 overall selections to the Washington Commanders for the No. 7 pick.
Then at No. 7, Bahns slotted Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey to the Cowboys.
“The Commanders would be head-over-heels for Jeremiyah Love at No. 7, but in the likely event he does not make it that far down the board, they figure to enter trade-down mode,” wrote Bahns. “They won’t have to look far for a trade partner, as the Cowboys will be ready to move up in a rare but mutually beneficial intra-division swap.
“Dallas gives up the No. 12 and No. 20 picks in exchange for No. 7 and No. 71 to get the edge rusher it so desperately needs in David Bailey. There is something poetic about Jerry Jones drafting a player out of oil country, too.”
Cowboys Interested in Acquiring Top 10 Pick?
GettyCould Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys move into the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft?
There’s considerable buzz around the Cowboys potentially leaping into the top 10. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler posted about the hypothetical move Saturday on X.
Fowler seemed to imply a jump into the top 5 was a possibility for Dallas.
“Teams starting to work phones for trades up/down,” wrote Fowler. “Belief in league circles is that Arizona (3), Tennessee (4) both open to moving back.
“Many watching Dallas (12/20) closely, due to obvious defensive needs.”
Fowler added that the Cowboys are comfortable staying where they are but are also “open-minded” to a deal.
Bahns argued the Commanders would become a team trying to trade back if Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love isn’t on the board at No. 7. On Tuesday, NFL insider Albert Breer mentioned Washington as one of five teams that would like to move back.
One of those clubs, though, was the New York Giants. New York traded defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday.
More than likely, the Giants are going to make their selections at No. 5 and 10 overall.
With the Lawrence deal, the NFC East now possesses four of the top 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. That means the top of this year’s draft will already have a significant NFC East-flavor.
The beginning of the draft will become NFC East-storylines galore if the Cowboys and Commanders also orchestrated a trade involving two top 12 picks.
How Edge Rusher David Bailey Would Fit With Dallas
GettyCBS Sports’s Carter Bahns predicted the Dallas Cowboys to execute a trade with the Washington Commanders to move up for edge rusher David Bailey.
Trading up to No. 7 would be expensive for the Cowboys. It would mean losing the second first-rounder the team acquired for Micah Parsons.
The Cowboys may also be left with only two picks in the top 100 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
But with Bailey, they would receive one of the top prospects in the 2026 class. Both ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked him a top 5 prospect.
“Bailey is an ultra-explosive edge rusher with outstanding production,” wrote Jeremiah. “He operated out of both a two-point and four-point stance in Texas Tech’s scheme. His game is all about get-off and winning early in the down.
“Against the run, he plays with effort and range from the back side but needs to improve his consistency and physicality when holding the point of attack.
“Overall, Bailey has areas to address, but his ability to create short corners to the passer is exceptional.”
With 14.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, Bailey made the All-American team last season. He also had three forced fumbles and three pass defenses with 52 combined tackles in his first Texas Tech season.
In three seasons with Stanford, Bailey had 14.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles.
The Cowboys should be interested in one of the top edge rushers from the 2026 class. Dallas finished in the bottom third of the league in total defense, points allowed and pass defense last season.
In his final 2026 NFL mock draft, Kiper predicted Bailey to land with the New York Jets at No. 2 overall.
Cowboys Get New 2026 NFL Draft Trade Up Scenario With Very Rare Move