The Dallas Cowboys have a new candidate to target for a trade ahead of the deadline on Tuesday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, New York Jets edge rusher Will McDonald has requested a trade.

The reason behind McDonald's frustration has to do with his lack of playing time. McDonald has seen his snaps go down from 66% the past two seasons to 46% in 2026.

"Jets pass-rusher Will McDonald IV has informed the team that he wants to be traded, sources say," Rapoport stated. "McDonald has played sparingly this season and is extremely frustrated with his usage."

The reduction in snaps for McDonald comes as a result of the Jets adding three edge rushers during the offseason, including David Bailey, Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare.

McDonald still has one more year left on his contract, so the Jets are not really in any rush to trade him, although it's conceivable they could get more for the former first-round pick now since McDonald won't be a rental, and teams tend to be a bit more desperate at the deadline.

Why McDonald makes sense for Cowboys

The Cowboys badly need more help at edge rusher because the guys they brought in just simply haven't been good enough.

Dallas has gotten 7.5 sacks out of their edge rushers this season, and new additions like Rashan Gary, Malachi Lawrence and Von Miller have combined for four of those.

In all, the Cowboys have 17 sacks, tied for the 11th-fewest in the NFL.

What has made the Cowboys' lack of pass-rush juice off the edge even more glaring is the lackluster coverage Dallas has played, so the Cowboys desperately need more production to help fix that issue.

McDonald has the ability to provide it after posting 18.5 sacks combined over the past two seasons. He has just three in nine games this season, but that would still be tops among Dallas' EDGE group.

How much will McDonald cost?

We suspect McDonald might cost a fourth-round pick, which the Cowboys have in 2027, although Dallas' draft stockpile is already depleted thanks to trades in recent years. If the Cowboys traded their 2027 fourth-rounder, they would be left with just three selections next year.

One thing the Cowboys will have to weigh is just how much they think a player like McDonald can help their struggling defense.

We've maintained that Dallas needs an elite edge rusher to even have a chance to save the unit, and even then that might not be enough.

McDonald certainly isn't elite, so the Cowboys might not think it's worth it to drain another draft pick to acquire him.

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