Considering a Myles Garrett trade would start showing Cowboys commitment to winning

One of the most discussed topics of the offseason so far for the Dallas Cowboys, an offseason that arrived mercifully after the team’s first losing season since 2020, is just how much the organization is committed to winning football games. This is an uncomfortable thing to call into question for any professional sports franchise, but the transcendent nature of the Cowboys brand allows for many other priorities around The Star such as popularity, relevance, and profit. The Cowboys have been trying to address the nuts and bolts of their football team via the coaching staff so far this offseason.

The hiring of Brian Schottenheimer remains somewhat confusing as a first time head coach, but his coordinator hires and many of the assistants have generated buzz as legitimate names that can bring a real direction to the team. Klayton Adams is here as offensive coordinator to help the running game find a spark again, and Matt Eberflus is back in Dallas to pick up where Mike Zimmer left off after just one season as defensive coordinator. While having an almost entirely new staff from the Mike McCarthy era is refreshing, the expectation from Cowboys fans is that the team will still pass up many opportunities to improve the roster these coaches have to work with in free agency or the trade market.

The next coaching staff in NFL history to will a significantly less-talented roster to a Super Bowl will be the first, and there is no denying the Cowboys need an influx of talent nearly across the board. Still, they will strongly carry the expectation of sticking to re-signing some of their own free agents, adding bargain-bin outsiders if any, and prioritizing the draft above all else until proven otherwise in a big way. The biggest possible fish for the Cowboys to send a different signal to their fans is reportedly asking for a trade though, with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett asking out after eight seasons.

It makes far too much sense for the Dallas Cowboys to be in on Myles Garrett

There is an adage in football that instead of trying to field the best overall and balanced team, one should lean as far as possible into their strengths and maximize them. If a position group feels just set enough to be above average on game day, add another starting-caliber player. If a position group is the best on the team, add another starting-caliber player. If a position group has a chance to be the reason a team wins games on a regular basis, add another starting-caliber player and make it consistently even more dominant. Being as close to unstoppable somewhere on the football field is the goal.

The Cowboys have a ton of work to do to make this team a contender again under a new staff, particularly in backing up their commitment to wanting to run the football again. Deuce Vaughn and his career 110 rushing yards in two seasons is the only running back under contract for 2025 right now. Going into the second year of his new contract, CeeDee Lamb still doesn’t have a reliable second wide receiver to take pressure off of him in the pass game. Cornerback has gone from a position of surplus, backed by expert coaches in Zimmer and Al Harris, to one of concern with the injury history of both Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. The offensive line is very much a work in progress, and after losing future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith last offseason could see Zack Martin retire or not return in free agency at right guard. Jake Ferguson had a down year at tight end. DeMarvion Overshown’s devastating injury that will linger into 2025 leaves the Cowboys thin at linebacker with veteran leader Eric Kendricks, brought in because of familiarity with Zimmer, back on the free agent market in March. The future of the safety group is up in the air with Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell, and Israel Mukuamu all pending free agents too. Of course, Dak Prescott is coming off another season-ending knee injury, and in a small eight game sample size was turning the ball over at an alarming rate last season.

This leaves just one single position group as something of a position of strength, which is the defensive line. There is still plenty of room for work here, but if the Cowboys had to play another game today with their current roster, the defensive line group may be the most ready to go. This is where the Cowboys would have the easiest path of turning a good position group into great one. They could get there by adding Myles Garrett. The possibility of adding to a position of strength instead of doing what they normally do and moving on to address other positions, only to end up without a real winning identity on game days again, should be too good to pass up.

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Garrett wants to play for a winning team after four straight seasons of at least 14 sacks, but just one playoff win in his entire career. The Arlington, Texas native could be the biggest reason why the Cowboys return to being a winning team himself. A large and likeable personality that would be an incredibly easy player to market for the Cowboys alongside Micah Parsons, the former number one overall pick out of Texas A&M would just feel right as the latest star player for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys defense was at their best last season when bringing pressure on the quarterback, something they had to work hard to do by being good enough in neutral situations to blitz on longer down and distances. The Cowboys could do very well to get pressure with their front four more consistently, something expected to be a focus under Eberflus’ coaching. Not only would adding a player with 102.5 sacks in eight seasons of course help them do this, but it would instantly make their pass rush with Garrett and Parsons the number one focus of opponents preparing to play Dallas. Defensive end would be a position group singlehandedly capable of winning games, which cannot be said about any other spot on the depth chart right now. Literally every single other thing the Cowboys are looking to be as a football team, from the run game to more up-tempo on offense to good on special teams, would benefit from the stress they can put on opposing teams having to prepare for Parsons and Garrett off the edge.

With one more double-digit sack season, Myles Garrett would have eight in a row dating back to 2018. His current streak of seven has only been done by one Cowboys defender, DeMarcus Ware from 2006-12. Micah Parsons’ active streak is at four, but Garrett has matched or exceeded his career high of 14 sacks in the last four seasons. This is a player with a ton left in the tank, ready to instantly become a fan favorite and cover for any issues the Cowboys have in personnel or yet another scheme adjustment on defense. The Cowboys have talked this offseason about supporting the players they are already committed to, mainly Prescott and Lamb on offense. Parsons can join this list with a contract extension this offseason, and has already proclaimed America’s Team will be in the Super Bowl next season. The best possible way to support him is by having Myles Garrett opposite him on the edge. The opportunity for these two rushers to get one-on-one opportunities playing together would be unreal, and that’s without even considering the chance Dallas has to bring back interior rusher Osa Odighizuwa.

For far too long, this team has shied away from adding to positions of perceived strength and making them overwhelming ones capable of taking over games. Their days of winning 12 games in a season by pairing explosive plays in the pass game with amazingly fortunate turnover luck on defense could be behind them for good. The new identity of the team can be written this offseason, and starting with by far the best pass rush duo in the league would be the best possible outcome. It is hard to fathom a trade that would send a stronger message to disgruntled fans that the Cowboys aren’t content finishing third in the NFC East behind the Super Bowl participating Eagles and NFC runner up Commanders.

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Dallas would likely have to lean heavily into sending draft capital to the Browns, something they value dearly, especially with Will McClay on a new contract to spearhead their efforts in finding college talent. Even this cannot hide the fact the Cowboys have not drafted well enough to replenish the roster at all for multiple seasons in a row now. Admitting this by swapping picks for one of the most proven players in today’s game would be the biggest breath of fresh air for a franchise unsure if 29 years without a NFC Championship Game appearance is a real “drought”.

Jerry and Stephen Jones need to pick up the phone and find out what the Cleveland Browns would be looking for if they trade Myles Garrett. It is the least they can do to be taken seriously as a football team again, with the upside to be their latest Charles Haley-esque trade.

Trading for Charles Haley

Everything came together for the Cowboys in 1992, and the final piece was acquiring pass-rushing stud Charles Haley from the San Francisco 49ers for a second- and third-round pick. Despite three Pro Bowl seasons (six seasons total) and two Super Bowl wins with the 49ers, Haley had become a headache, allowing the Cowboys to swoop in and grab him for a discounted price.

Haley immediately bolstered the Cowboys’ defensive line and was part of a defense that helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls in four years. Even more satisfying is that he helped them beat his former team twice in the NFC Championship when Dallas and San Francisco were the two top teams in the league. Haley was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Garrett has three sacks and two forced fumbles in two career games against Prescott and the Cowboys, with the most recent being last year’s season opener. He even said “make it happen” in regards to wanting to play with Dak and his hometown team during the draft process in 2017.