Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys need to fix their defense this offseason. In the case of the former, they've seen some decline from veterans while missing on some draft picks. In the case of the latter, it's a self-inflicted wound that came to a head with the Micah Parsons trade. However, as both the Chiefs and Cowboys head into the NFL offseason, they might be able to help one another in their plans to upgrade the defense with cornerback Trent McDuffie at the center.
McDuffie is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which has led to speculation and some rumblings that the Chiefs could look to trade him this offseason. And with Dallas having two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, they could be the perfect trade partner — which is what one draft insider is already suggesting.
Early Cowboys draft rumor connect Dallas to Trent McDuffie trade
NFL Media draft expert and insider Daniel Jeremiah released his second mock draft of the offseason, and while he had the Cowboys selecting Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor with the No. 20 overall pick, he also floated the idea of Jerry Jones and Dallas potentially exploring trading that selection for Trent McDuffie.
"Then again, if the Chiefs would take this pick in a trade for Trent McDuffie (entering the final year of his rookie deal), the Cowboys would solve their secondary issues in the blink of an eye."
That's not to say that anything this time of year is a guarantee. However, the fact that Jeremiah, one of the most plugged-in draft analysts in the business, is already putting that idea out into the ether means that it should be taken seriously as a possibility.
Having said that, his phrasing is worth noting — he does say that the No. 20 pick would be "in a trade", not that it would be the whole trade. That's important context to note when it comes to a possible deal, and will certainly inform some of our thinking in putting together a mock trade proposal for the Cowboys and Chiefs and what this potential deal would materialize as.
What a Cowboys-Chiefs trade for Trent McDuffie would look like
Again, I don't see a world in which the Chiefs are going to be able to acquire the 20th overall pick from the Cowboys straight-up for McDuffie. Had this trade happened last offseason, that would've felt far more likely as a possibility. But with the cornerback, no matter how good he is, now working on an expiring rookie contract and either being a one-year rental or needing to be signed to an extension, that means that Dallas can accrue some lost draft capital still while getting McDuffie.
Ultimately, I looked at the Cowboys sending an early Day 3 pick in next year's draft in order to get back into the third round of the 2026 draft. Remember, Dallas might have a pair of first-round picks thanks to the Parsons trade, but they gave up their second-round selection in the Quinnen Williams deal while sending their third-rounder to Pittsburgh for George Pickens. Getting another Top 100 selection and McDuffie would be smart business.
As for the Chiefs, they gain another Top 20 pick, still hold onto their second-round pick in this year's draft, which would give them to ability to use three Top 64 selections to retool the defense and potentially make a luxury pick as well, perhaps on someone like Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love, who has frequently been mocked to Kansas City with the No. 9 pick.
Why the Chiefs would trade Trent McDuffie
Put simply, trading McDuffie would be a continuation of the strategy that we've seen from Brett Veach and the Chiefs front office. Just a few years ago, L'Jarius Sneed had emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the league with Kansas City. But as he reached the end of his rookie contract, rather than sign him to an extension, placed the franchise tag on him and then traded him to the Tennessee Titans.
That trade, which obviously happened after Sneed's rookie contract had expired, netted Kansas City a 2025 third-round pick (the deal happened in the 2024 offseason) and a pick swap to move up in the seventh round of the 2024 draft.
What stands out from that, however, is that the Chiefs could've gotten more value by trading him a year earlier, which could be a lesson they won't forget when it comes to McDuffie. Furthermore, Kansas City's secondary could, with reinforcements, survive the loss of their star corner. Nohl Williams was impressive as a rookie, Kristian Fulton played well, and one of Jaylen Watson or some other potential free agents could be re-signed as well.
All this is to say, the Chiefs are needing to shift some of their allocations around on defense as they try to combat the salary cap. Trading McDuffie could be their most logical path to reshaping that side of the ball and doing so cheaply, while also getting maximum value for the star cornerback and not risk potentially losing him for nothing next offseason.
Why the Cowboys would benefit from trading for McDuffie
As for the Cowboys side of the equation, it's not hard to see why they would make this trade. The expectation among many is that Dallas could look to select a cornerback with one of their two first-round picks as is. DaRon Bland remains in place, but his performance has dipped in recent years, and the rest of the secondary is almost completely devoid of proven commodities. They need an insurgence of talent in the defensive back room in the worst way.
While taking on another one-year contract would be risky, we've seen Jones do that just this past year with Pickens. Furthermore, you could make the argument that McDuffie would fill an even more pressing need than the trade with Pittsburgh did. Pairing McDuffie and Bland with a new defensive staff could be the exact recipe to get the Cowboys secondary set back on a positive trajectory.
On top of that, the nature of McDuffie's contract and what the Cowboys could offer could set them up perfectly in the other parts of the draft. They could use the 12th pick to maneuver for an edge rusher or linebacker in that spot, and then would get back into Day 2 of the draft to address another need, all while adding a proven top-tier cornerback to fill a position of dire need.
Now, this is a slippery slope for Dallas — if the price is a first-round pick straight-up for McDuffie, this trade becomes a whole let less enticing for the Cowboys. However, if the right price is there and they can negotiate a deal such as this one, then they'd frankly be foolish to not be kicking the tires with the Chiefs.