The Dallas Cowboys’ defensive shortcomings last season left owner Jerry Jones with a herculean task heading into this offseason. His rebuild began with a bold promise to “bust the budget,” and led to adding veteran depth in the secondary through free agency. But two weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft, the team still needs marquee playmakers, and NFL insiders believe the Cowboys could trade up in the draft with a specific name in mind to achieve that.
“The Cowboys are my team most likely to trade up,” Ian Rapoport said on The Insiders in conversation with Tom Pelissero. “Again, this is not for clickbait. This is real. I expect them to be at least in the mix, potentially for coming up for a pass rusher or other top defensive players.”
The first, and arguably the best candidate Rapoport spoke of was Miami edge rusher Reuben Bain Jr. ESPN’s Jordan Reid had also reported recently that Dallas sees Bain as an “instant-impact game changer.” But Essentially Sports’ draft expert Tony Pauline’s latest mock draft has him going 4th overall to the Tennessee Titans. If that holds, Dallas isn’t getting him at 12 without moving.
More smoke to the #Cowboys potentially the one team that wants to trade up.
I don’t think it’ll be something they force, but if the right player starts to slip/fall, then it could become a possibility. (I.e Sonny Styles, Rueben Bain, Caleb Downs) pic.twitter.com/wKPRY3zhc5
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) April 11, 2026
Jerry Jones confirmed his intentions to move up in the draft when speaking to reporters at the owners’ meetings.
“I’ve looked at the mirror a lot, about how to go up and down and trade and do those kinds of things,” Jones had said. “Absolutely. We’ll entertain improving on an in-draft read on what gives us a better chance to get another player, and still have our pick and the red meat of top players. Now that has an on-the-board aspect to it, but it’s very doable.”
Franchises like the Washington Commanders (7th overall pick) or the Cincinnati Bengals (10th overall pick) are likely candidates to help Dallas trade up. They could even tempt Tennessee into looking the other way as Dallas uses their 4th overall pick to get Reuben.
“If you look at the landscape there, you have several teams who would potentially be open to moving back,” Rapoport adds. “Might the Cowboys jump up a little bit to get a key defensive piece in an offseason when it has been all about fixing that defense?”
Reuben certainly makes the case for it. Over three seasons with the Miami Hurricanes, Bain posted 20.5 sacks, 33.5 tackles for loss, and 121 combined tackles. He added four more sacks in the playoffs against Texas A&M (3) and Ohio State (1). The downside is his arm length. At 30 ⅞ inches, Bain ranks third-shortest for an edge rusher at the Combine in 25 years. But Bain’s college production is built entirely on leverage, hand usage, and speed, not reach.
Dallas is causing problems for the Chiefs
When Bain came to Kansas City for his top-30 visit, Arrowhead Addict framed the Chiefs Kingdom’s sentiment by calling it “the equivalent of a student finally being paired with their long-time crush for a science project.” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has a real DE problem, and Bain has been near the top of his board for months.
The Chiefs released Mike Danna after six seasons, and Charles Omenihu went to the Washington Commanders in free agency. Felix Anudike-Uzomah suffered a hamstring injury in August 2025 and missed the whole season. That leaves George Karlaftis and Ashton Gillotte as the only real DE options heading into 2026.
Kansas City sits at pick No. 9 in the draft, which looks like a safe spot at first. But that changes the moment Dallas starts making calls. Jerry Jones has two first-rounders, no second-round pick, and a defense that ranked near the bottom last season. He has enough motivation to move and real capital to back it. If he jumps to No. 7 or No. 8, he’s taking Bain before Kansas City can.
But it’s not just Dallas that threatens KC’s plans. Before the KC visit, Bain had already met with the Tennessee Titans and the Arizona Cardinals, both picking ahead of Kansas City. Per reports, even Chiefs general manager Brett Veach might need to consider moving up if those teams are serious.
Kansas City came out of Thursday’s visit with every reason to feel good about where Reuben Bain Jr. stands with them. But then Rapoport went on The Insiders and named Dallas the most likely team to trade up. A top-30 visit doesn’t mean much if Jerry Jones shows up on draft night with his picks and an offer the team ahead of the Chiefs can’t turn down.
