Take a closer look at the Dallas Cowboys roster, and one thing stands out. Brian Schottenheimer has a clear need to address the linebacker room. Right now, the Cowboys have just three linebackers under contract in DeMarvion Overshown, Shemar James, and Justin Barron. That lack of depth explains why the focus has shifted toward fixing the position through the 2026 NFL Draft.

That intent became more visible this week. According to reports, the Cowboys hosted Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. for dinner on Monday night ahead of his Pro Day. Schottenheimer, meanwhile, flew to Austin to be part of that meeting, which says a lot about the level of interest.

With that in mind, the next question is how Dallas approaches it on draft night. The team holds picks No. 12 and No. 20 in the first round, but there is also the possibility of a trade down if they view Hill as a better fit for Christian Parker’s defense at a different spot.

There is one complication, though. Hill is not widely projected as a first-round pick in this year’s class. After the first round, the Cowboys do not pick again until No. 92 in the third. That gap could be too long to wait for a player like Hill.

That is where a trade-back scenario starts to make the most sense. If Schottenheimer and the front office are serious about him, moving down while staying within range could be the logical path. And based on his profile, Hill does check a lot of boxes for what Dallas might need.

At 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, Hill spent three seasons at Texas before declaring for the 2026 draft. In that span, he put up 259 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, and three interceptions.

He also backed that up at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash, a 1.58 10-yard split, a 37-inch vertical, and 21 bench press reps.

The Cowboys may not have attended his combine workout, but the recent dinner suggests their evaluation is still very much active, and there is a real chance his name could be on their board in April.

On a broader level, it is clear that the Cowboys are expected to address linebacker depth heading into the 2026 season. At the same time, Jerry Jones has already added six major weapons on the same side of the ball, which makes the defensive focus stand out even more.

Jerry Jones addressed the needs in the secondary and up front

“I’ll tell you, when you have the challenges we had last year, there’s no place to go but up on the defensive side of the ball,” Jerry Jones said last week.

And considering how the defense performed in 2025, a major overhaul always felt inevitable. Jones followed through on that, adding multiple pieces to reshape the unit. It starts in the secondary.

Dallas first signed former Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson to a three-year, $36 million deal. But that alone was not enough for Christian Parker’s system. So the Cowboys followed it up by adding P. J. Locke on a one-year, $5 million deal and bringing in former Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant on a one-year contract, worth $5.5 million.

Given that Dallas had the worst pass defense in the league last season, those moves in the secondary track logically. From there, the focus shifts to the edge.

One of the more notable additions came with Rashan Gary, especially after the departure of Micah Parsons last year. The Cowboys acquired Gary from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. As part of the deal, Gary agreed to restructure his contract and take a $10 million pay cut over the next two seasons.

Dallas did not stop there. They also brought back Tyrus Wheat, reuniting him with the team that originally signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2023. In his first stint with the Cowboys, Wheat appeared in 20 games and recorded 17 tackles and half a sack.

He spent last season with the Detroit Lions, playing 15 games and setting career highs with 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks, along with a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Now, he returns to Dallas as part of a reshaped defensive front.

Up front, the Cowboys also addressed the interior by signing Otito Ogbonnia to a one-year deal. A former fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, he has appeared in 41 games with 20 starts over four seasons.

He now enters Dallas after playing nine games in 2025, recording 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, and half a sack.

So when you step back and look at it, the Cowboys have checked off multiple defensive needs this offseason. The one area that still stands out is linebacker. Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, that is where expectations now sit for Jones and the front office.