1 move Cowboys must make to keep up with Rams after Myles Garrett trade

The Dallas Cowboys have a young player showing good stuff early, and they should be a threat to win the NFC East. However, their Super Bowl hopes dimmed with the Rams getting Myles Garrett. And here is one move the Cowboys must make to keep up with the Rams.

In a blockbuster deal, the Rams sent Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 2nd and a 2029 3rd for the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, according to a post on X by Adam Schefter.

It pushed the Rams’ defense almost to the level of the offense. And that’s a problem for a team like the Cowboys, who can match the Rams’ offense in terms of talent. But now there is a defensive deficit that the Cowboys must address.

The Cowboys must match the Rams’ blockbuster move

This isn’t a situation where the Cowboys can claim a veteran off waivers. Any minor trade won’t move the needle.

The only way the Cowboys can keep up is by landing a player in the same stratosphere as Garrett. And that’s very hard to do, as it is a short list at the top of the edge-rusher hierarchy. Let’s look at the top five:

1. Will Anderson Jr., Texans — Yes, this would do the trick. However, he’s not going anywhere for many years.

2. Myes Garrett, Rams — He just got traded, of course.

3. Micah Parsons, Packers — There’s no world where the Packers send this superstar back to the Cowboys.

4. Aidan Hutchinson, Lions — The Lions see themselves as a Super Bowl contender. Even if they aren’t. So Hutchinson isn’t available.

5. Danielle Hunter, Texans — No hope here, either. The Texans have their eyes on an AFC Championship.

While any of those five players would give the Cowboys the juice they need to catch the Rams, they simply aren’t available.

However, one player not on that list is a top-five talent — when healthy. The Raiders have Maxx Crosby. And they already tried to trade him to the Ravens.

There’s no Super Bowl in the Raiders’ mindset in the near future. Therefore, they would surely ship Crosby to the Cowboys for the right offer.

However, the medical evaluation of Crosby caused the Ravens to back out of an agreed-upon deal. Will Crosby be the same player who has reached the Pro Bowl in five straight seasons?

That’s a big question mark. But the Cowboys may not have other options. Crosby is likely the only available edge rusher who can impact a defense and change a team’s fortunes.

What would the Cowboys have to give up for Maxx Crosby?

This is the biggest question for Jerry Jones. Unlike the Rams, the Cowboys don’t have a young defender they can package in a deal for Crosby.

Well, they do. But it’s first-round draft pick Caleb Downs. And that’s a non-starter conversation. Losing Downs would erode the back end of the defense enough that Crosby’s impact would be negated quite a bit.

Perhaps the Cowboys could wait until the trade deadline to go after Crosby. By that point, maybe Donovan Ezeiruaku might have developed enough to make the Raiders interested.

However, it’s still going to take a package of picks. The Cowboys would have to send their No. 1 pick in 2027. They also might need to add their 2028 second-round selection. And at that point, the injury risk with Crosby complicates the issue.

The Cowboys don’t want to give up a big chunk of their near future to go all-in for 2026, and then have Crosby not be able to stay on the field.

What are the other options for the Cowboys?

It’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Cowboys to go after another star wide receiver. Imagine NFL defenses, including the Rams, have to guard CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and another top-notch receiver on almost every snap.

And the guy who makes sense is the Steelers’ DK Metcalf. It would require Lamb to become almost a full-time slot receiver. But think of the distress defenses would face.

The Steelers will likely fall out of playoff contention in the middle part of the season. Before the trade deadline. Trading Metcalf wouldn’t be a priority, but the Steelers would probably consider it. And since the organization already gift-wrapped Pickens to the Cowboys, why not send Metcalf that way, too?

If the Cowboys were truly unstoppable on offense, it may not matter how good the Rams’ defense is.

Plus, it might not even require a first-round pick to get Metcalf. The Cowboys might be able to slide by with a second in 2027 and a fourth in 2028. Or something along those lines.

The post 1 move Cowboys must make to keep up with Rams after Myles Garrett trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.