Cowboys, Bengals dubbed possible trade suitors for promising 26-year-old edge rusher

The Dallas Cowboys failed to replace the sack production lost when the team traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.

Doing that is pretty much impossible, but the Cowboys haven't even come close. Through five games, Dallas has just 10 sacks and five of those came in Week 5.

In Cincinnati, the Bengals managed to hold on to Trey Hendrickson after a contract dispute during the offseason, but rookie Shemar Stewart has not provided the support Cincinnati needs and has missed three games due to injury.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has seen enough and he wants both the Bengals and Cowboys to make a move for Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.

Phillips, meanwhile, is playing on the fifth-year option and will likely depart in 2026 free agency if he isn't dealt. He's been a solid edge-defender when healthy, but Miami has a deep rotation that also includes Zach Sieler, Bradley Chubb, Matthew Judon and Chop Robinson.

Injuries have impacted Phillips over the past few years, but he's still only 26 years old and should interest teams looking to invest in a younger defender.

Potential Suitors: Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys

Phillips has shown plenty of promise during his career after tallying 22 sacks over his first three seasons (42 games) in the NFL. However, the former first-round pick has been derailed by injuries the past two years after suffering an Achilles tear and torn ACL in back-to-back seasons.

Phillips is finally healthy in 2025 and has appeared in all five games for Miami, but he has just one sack. That said, Phillips should continue to improve the further removed from the torn ACL he gets.

It's not crazy to think the Dolphins could trade the 26-year-old. Miami is 1-4 and heading for a rebuild that is unlikely to include head coach Mike McDaniel. The young edge rusher, who is in the final year of his contract, could garner a nice return to help kickstart that rebuild.

Cincinnati is unlikely to trade for Phillips. Instead, the Bengals are going to want to keep the path clear for Stewart to get as many reps as possible. Not to mention, the Bengals might be out of playoff contention by the deadline if things keep going south like they have been the last three weeks.

The Cowboys are sitting at 2-2-1 and the NFC East appears to be up for grabs with the Philadelphia Eagles struggling. As long as the Cowboys are in contention for anything playoff-related, Jerry Jones might be willing to make a move.

Knox believes Phillips will fetch a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick in return. That price will be anything but daunting for Jones if he wants edge rush help.

More NFL News

• Jets' Breece Hall makes stance on trade rumors clear
• 49ers, Bucs named possible suitors for 22-pressure edge rusher
• 7 unbelievable Jaxson Dart stats from Week 6
• Jaxson Dart had one big negative from statement game vs. Eagles
• Jaxson Dart accomplishes feat only 1 rookie QB has in 20 season
• Chip Kelly responds to Pete Carroll throwing him under the bus