Be it the regular season or the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys remain the biggest talking point in the league. But this time around, barring the George Pickens extension saga, the offseason has been a quieter one for America’s Team. While this may be bad news for the media portals covering the Cowboys, according to franchise legend Emmitt Smith, this is a welcome change ahead of the 2026 season.

“I think the bigger sign is that it’s been a slow, quiet offseason — the way it needs to be,” Emmitt Smith said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports earlier during the offseason. “Now that we’ve gotten George Pickens out of the way, quietness is important because it says the focus is where it needs to be — on the field.”

The Cowboys will enter the 2026 season after missing the playoffs for two straight seasons, while their Super Bowl drought extends to over 30 years. Furthermore, last year, America’s Team put up a historically poor defensive performance, which demanded significant changes as it directly held back the team and its explosive offense.

Spearheaded by quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys’ offense ranked second in the league with 6,663 total offensive yards and seventh in scoring with 27.7 points per game. However, their defense finished 32nd in points allowed (30.1 per game) and 30th in total yards allowed (377.5 per game), leading to a losing 7-9-1 record and a missed playoff spot in a weaker NFC East.

To improve a disappointing defense, Jerry Jones and Co. traded for former Green Bay Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary, while signing safety Jalen Thompson and cornerback Cobie Durant, and drafted Ohio State star Caleb Downs to bolster the secondary.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys extended running back Javonte Williams and kicker Brandon Aubrey to big-time deals. But their biggest offseason move was to lock down star wideout George Pickens with a franchise tag after the wideout put up career numbers, recording 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns in 17 games, as they failed to reach an agreement on a long-term extension.

While Pickens doesn’t have a long-term deal, his availability for the 2026 season at least will allow the Cowboys to push for the playoffs, as they can field the same dominant offense with an improved defense. But now, as the 2026 season approaches, the Cowboys are continuing this quiet approach and have been urged to make a sneaky move to further bolster their defense and establish themselves as one of the best ahead of the season.

Cowboys urged to make another big-ticket trade to bolster the defense

While the Dallas Cowboys have made significant moves to improve after a disappointing 2025 season, America’s Team has been asked to make another trade and bring in Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat, according to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox.

“They should make one more move to solidify the group and make a play for Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat,” Knox wrote. “Sweat isn’t necessarily on the trade block. However, he was absent at the start of OTAs, and, according to Cardinals insider Kyle Odegard, is ‘not particularly happy’ in Arizona.”

The Cowboys are familiar with Sweat’s antics on defense, as he played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2020 to 2024 and averaged 8 sacks and 17 QB hits per season. He continued this form in Arizona by racking up 12 sacks, a career high. Furthermore, according to Arizona insider Johnny Venerables, Sweat has requested a trade as he has remained absent from the Cardinals’ OTAs. Hence, a move is seemingly possible.

Whether this trade goes through, only time will tell. But in the meantime, the Cowboys fans will hope that their franchise’s offseason moves pan out as expected and help bring back the Lombardi Trophy back to Dallas after a 30-year wait.