“(The Cowboys) have been wildly aggressive trying to bolster a defense that was the NFL’s worst last year,” Davenport wrote. “There are two new edge-rushers in veteran Rashan Gary and rookie Malachi Lawrence, two new starters at safety and a new linebacker in Dee Winters. However, while Winters is a capable pro, he’s not the same caliber of player Brooks is. The Cowboys are perpetually all-in on a Super Bowl run—trading for Brooks would be a nice finish to the team’s defensive makeover.”

Brooks Became Dominant Defender in Miami

Brooks, 6-foot and 240 pounds, was a 1st round pick (No. 27 overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2020 NFL draft and has been 1 of the NFL’s dominant inside linebackers since becoming a full-time starter in his 2nd season — when he had a career-high 184 tackles and led the NFL with 109 solo tackles.

He signed a 3-year, $26.25 million free-agent contract with the Dolphins before the 2024 season. Brooks is in the final season of that deal in 2026, when he’s due approximately $8.375 million.

Brooks has only missed 2 regular-season games since 2021, and none since 2023, and led the NFL in both tackles (183) and solo tackles (99) in 2025.

“A smooth coverage linebacker with great instincts and field sense, Brooks is one of the few linebackers in the league who can truly be trusted to carry a tight end down the field, or drop into the intermediate middle and not get bamboozled by route combinations or quarterbacks’ eye fakes,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote in October 2025. “Coverage linebackers in their athletic prime are rare and impactful players.”

Cowboys Attempted Trade for Pro Bowl LB

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Cowboys attempted to trade with the Houston Texans for Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who wound up signing a 3-year, $54 million contract extension on April 29.

“Before trading for Dee Winters, the Cowboys talked to the Texans about Al-Shaair,” Garafolo wrote on his official X account. “But Houston values Al-Shaair for his play on the field and community work off of it. Now putting their $$$ down to further prove it.”

Al-Shaair has been 1 of the NFL’s elite off-ball linebackers the last 3 years, including a career-high 163 tackles in 2023 and 103 tackles in 2025 on the way to earning his 1st Pro Bowl selection.

The Cowboys traded a 2026 5th-round pick (No. 152 overall) to the San Francisco 49ers for Winters on April 24.

Winter is going to be an incredible value for the Cowboys in 2026 in the final year of his 4-year, $3.97 million rookie contract.

The 5-foot-11, 227-pound former 6th-round pick became a full-time starter for the 49ers for the 1st time in 2025, starting all 17 games, and had a breakout season with 101 tackles, 8 TFL, 1 interception, and 5 pass deflections.