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Amid Trade Rumor, Which One 'Forgotten' Cowboys Player Poised For Major Impact?
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- Amid Trade Rumor, Which One 'Forgotten' Cowboys Player Poised For Major Impact?
The Dallas Cowboys ' defense is going to look vastly different, and much improved (we hope) from the one we saw in 2025.
With over half a dozen new coaches, headlined by Christian Parker, and several new players, the defense has undergone a big facelift.
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But while many are fixated on the likes of Caleb Downs , Malachi Lawrence, Rashan Gary , and Jalen Thompson , and rightly so, there are some players already on the roster who some are forgetting about.
With OTAs beginning at The Star, the long road to the 2026 regular season has begun, and who can emerge as contributors will be a fascinating watch.
And one player who might have been forgotten as a piece of the defense is edge James Houston .
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Having risen to prominence last season, as he recorded 3.5 sacks in his first five games, so much so that the slogan "that's James Houston" was making the rounds on social media, Houston had a knack for making players at key times.
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He would finish his first in Dallas with 5.5 sacks (second-most on Cowboys roster), six tackles for loss (fourth-most) and 13 quarterback hits (second-most), that looks like a good season.
And when we factor in that Houston only played 28 percent of the snaps on defense, it makes it even more impressive.
READ MORE: Cowboys Must Enter NFC Arms Race After Myles Garrett Trade; 3 Doable Moves
Now, given the logjam ahead of him with Gary, Lawrence, Donovan Ezeiruaku , and Sam Williams , finding quality snaps could be hard to come by.
Indeed, one fan-driven site is suggesting Houston is about to be traded.
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But from what we hear and think?
His production last season, compared to Eze and Williams, especially when we factor in that he was in the game in pure passing situations, suggests maybe Parker could cook up something with the veteran.
Again, we have seen some reports of a potential trade for a Day 3 pick, but we don't see the value in that.
Edge, you could make the case that one position Dallas needs more bodies, not fewer, and considering where Houston finished among other Cowboys in the stats mentioned above, who knows what 2026 could bring?
Now, are we saying he will be an eight-sack player? No. All we're saying is, don't forget Houston as part of Parker's pass-rush weaponry in 2026.
