The Dallas Cowboys appear to be stirring more than just training camp dust in Oxnard these days. On the opening day of workouts, owner Jerry Jones floated the idea of a significant defensive addition now that the pads are on and the real work has begun.
At first it was easy to dismiss the comments as classic Jerry showmanship, the kind of talk that generates headlines without necessarily leading to action. Yet as the days have passed, the whispers have grown louder, and the focus has shifted in an unexpected direction.
While much of the early speculation centered on a potential revival of interest in Las Vegas edge rusher Maxx Crosby, one longtime observer with deep Cowboys ties is pointing elsewhere.
Brian Broaddus, the former team scout who has become a familiar voice on Dallas radio, suggested on 105.3 The Fan that the real target is Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks. The same Brooks who had already drawn quiet interest from Dallas earlier in the offseason, only for that conversation to cool once Miami locked him into a three-year extension worth more than $51 million just over a week ago.
That contract seemed to close the door. Broaddus insists it has not. He described the Cowboys as aiming higher than a veteran free-agent signing such as future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner.
“I think they’re looking bigger than Bobby Wagner,” he said. “I think they’re going for a bigger fish. And please take the word fish in mind when I say this. I think they’ve got a linebacker in mind. The team you need to focus on is Miami, and I am kind of getting some whispers about Miami, and that Miami realizes they’re not going to be very good.”
Those whispers rest on a particular willingness inside the Dolphins organization. Owner Stephen Ross, according to Broaddus, has given his front office permission to absorb substantial salary-cap hits this season if the return includes valuable draft capital.
In a year when Miami’s outlook appears limited, trading a high-production player like Brooks could help restock a roster that needs long-term help. For Dallas, that creates an opening that might not have existed a month ago.
Brooks would fill an obvious need. The Cowboys have struggled to find consistent production at middle linebacker, and the 2025 season offered a reminder of just how productive Brooks can be.
He led the league with 183 total tackles and posted 99 solo stops, numbers that would immediately elevate the middle of Dallas’s defense. At a time when Stephen Jones has publicly insisted the team is “far from done” and remains open to any opportunity that makes the roster better, the pieces appear aligned for a conversation that many thought had already ended.
Whether those whispers turn into an actual trade remains to be seen. Jones and the rest of the Cowboys front office have a long history of talking in circles before making a decisive move.
Still, the combination of a clear roster need, a willing trade partner facing cap pressure, and an All-Pro linebacker who already knows the Cowboys’ interest makes this particular rumor harder to ignore than most. Training camp is still young, and the Cowboys, it seems, are not finished shopping.
