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Azeez al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans was named a Cowboys trade target this week.
Last week, some hope was raised around the notion that the Dallas Cowboys could alleviate their ineptitude when it comes to filling the middle linebacker spot when Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the team was in “discussions” about making trades for possible additions. All-Pro Jordyn Brooks of the dismantling Dolphins made some sense as one of the possibilities he listed. Pro Bowler Azeez Al-Shaair of the Texans, who see themselves as a contender, made less sense.
And if the reaction coming in from Houston on the Al-Shaair end of that rumor is in any way reflective of how the Texans feel about Al-Shaair, the Cowboys likely should focus on Brooks. Al-Shaair has been a favorite of head coach DeMeco Ryans since Ryans was the defensive coordinator in San Francisco and Al-Shaair began his there.
While Al-Shaair is heading into the final year of his contract and thus viewed as a trade target, he is also considered a heart-and-soul guy for a defense that carried the Texans into the divisional round of the playoffs and nearly got them to the AFC Championship game.
Cowboys Trade Call on Azeez Al-Shaair Would Get a ‘Laugh’
The reaction to the possibility of a Cowboys Al-Shaair pursuit from the Texans point of view was most distinctly expressed by Jonathan Alexander, the Texans beat writer for the Houston Chronicle.
He wrote on Twitter/X: “For what it’s worth, two things can be true. The Cowboys could very much be discussing Azeez Al-Shaair, and the Texans could very much hang up the phone and laugh.
“I say that half-jokingly. But aside from his relationship with Ryans, Al-Shaair is the heart of the defense and a huge reason they were No. 1. The Texans have no plans to part ways with him, even if the Cowboys are interested. An potential extension is still on the table.”
Cowboys Badly Need a Linebacker
Of course, the reason any of this is on the table is that the big disappointment of the Cowboys offseason remains that none of the signings the team made this March is a middle linebacker. The Cowboys missed on their two big “green dot” options, Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, in free agency, as both signed with the Raiders.
That’s why Harris, in response to a question about the linebacker spot off of his mock draft on Twitter/X, wrote that the Cowboys are no longer considering a trade for Patrick Queen of the Steelers but, “Al-Shaair & Brooks are being discussed though.”
Jordyn Brooks Better Option Than Azeez Al-Shaair
With due respect to Al-Shaair, Brooks would be the much better player for the Cowboys to focus on.
The Cowboys and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker are trying to build a defensive front that can shut down the run game. Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Brooks the third-best run-stopping linebacker in the NFL, and he led the league in solo tackles (99) and combined tackles (183). He’s also durable, with 83 games played in the last three seasons.
The Dolphins are in desperate financial straits and are not planning to be all that competitive in 2026. They need to rebuild with draft picks, presenting the Cowboys with an opportunity to swipe Brooks, who is in the final year of his contract and has a $10.8 million cap hit in 2026.
The Texans can laugh at the Cowboys, but the Dolphins likely would not.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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