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Another blockbuster trade is off the table for the Dallas Cowboys heading into the 2026 NFL draft, but all is not lost.

The Dallas Cowboys were one of the teams talked about in regard to snagging defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants during the NFL offseason, but now, the player is off the table.

On Saturday, April 18, news emerged that Lawrence is getting traded to the Bengals in a massive pre-draft trade deal. The news came from Adam Schefter of ESPN, who posted a report on X, stating, “Draft week blockbuster: The Giants are trading three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals in a deal that will include the 10th overall pick going to New York, per ESPN sources.”

He continued, “The Giants now head into Thursday night with the 5th and 10th overall picks.”

Where Does This Leave the Dallas Cowboys?

The Dallas Cowboys need some help in the tackle position, and this is just the latest in a round of trade deals that seemed to come close but not go all the way. Now, the Cowboys will likely have to take care of their tackle needs in the 2026 NFL draft, which isn’t a bad thing, really.

The Cowboys, of course, have the No. 12 pick in the draft, so they’ll be able to get a stellar player. Chad Reuter of the NFL’s official website has them going with a linebacker early in Sonny Styles of Ohio State.

“Teams might not value Styles as a top-10 pick if they view him as a pure off-ball linebacker,” he states. “Dallas happily secures the ultra-athletic defender for its new defense, just as the Cowboys did with Micah Parsons at the same draft slot in 2021.”

He also has the team going with the No. 24 pick in a projected trade with the Browns, originally owned by the Jags. In that move, he has them taking cornerback Chris Johnson out of San Diego State.

“If the Cowboys saw what I saw on game film and on the field at the NFL Scouting Combine, they won’t hesitate to take the quick-footed Johnson after making this trade to improve their middle-round draft capital,” he states in the piece.

Dexter Lawrence Would Have Likely Required Too Much for the Dallas Cowboys

Frankly, the Cowboys would have had to trade a lot to get Lawrence, and it’s probably best that it didn’t work out for them. Lawrence is a great player, but at that price? That’s a lot.

Reaction to the trade has been largely positive online, on both sides. But, comments also point to fans of both the Giants and Bengals nervous about what this deal will do for their franchises. In other words, it was a risky move, for both teams.

So, it’s a big move for both franchises, and the Dallas Cowboys don’t really need to make such a drastic move right now. They have a solid base, and trading for Lawrence would have just cost too much. So, now, we wait for the NFL draft to see what Jerry Jones and company will do to get this franchise ready for the future.