Cowboys' Jordyn Brooks' dream has officially ended (but fans don't need to worry)

It's been a heavy offseason defensive haul for the Dallas Cowboys, and they have a lot to look forward to in terms of new faces. They were rumored to be in the running for Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks, but he returned to the Dolphins on a three-year, $51.3 million contract.

It wasn't likely that the Cowboys would jump on him anyway, but there was still some reported interest in the All-Pro linebacker. Talks had cooled down after the draft, and that likely happened when the team traded for Dee Winters, but still, you have to have an eye on someone who racked up the most tackles in the NFL last season with 183.

The Cowboys' LB room is already filled with DeMarvion Overshown, who's trying to make a comeback and eventually become one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Then there's Winters, who's coming off his best season and is only 25 years old. It was a long shot, but the Cowboys still should be A-OK.

Cowboys missed out on Jordyn Brooks but it's not the end of the world

There was some hope earlier this summer when Brooks was linked to the Cowboys in a mid-season trade. It would've been a perfect excuse to ship off Tyler Guyton, but that was only if he missed expectations during the season. That's not happening anymore, but the Cowboys should keep their options open.

The new LB room still has something to prove, but there are already names fans should be looking forward to.

Outside of Overshown and Winters, who are expected to play in the middle of Christian Parker's 3-4 defense, Shemar James is going to get key minutes too. He was one of the few trustworthy defenders last season, as he racked up 91 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Another youngster who may explode onto the scene like James is Jaishawn Barham, the rookie out of Michigan. He's a dominant force at 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds and has a reputation for going 110 percent on every play. He's got a lot of beef on his bones, and we should be interested to see how that size translates on the field.

There are still fish in the sea, like veteran LB Bobby Wagner and veteran pass rusher Von Miller, who has flirted with the idea of being in a Cowboys uniform. It makes sense with Miller in the latter part of his career, and he has local DFW roots.

After this, it doesn't seem like the Jones family will take a huge leap, but there's still a lot for fans to be pumped about, and the front seven in the middle of the pack of some NFL rankings even before opening kickoff is already amazing to see.

Today's best reads

• ESPN analyst says Cowboys will answer fans’ worst nightmare in 2026
• Cowboys' latest front seven ranking is exactly what fans needed to hear
• Christian Parker’s defense could make or break Cowboys’ former third-round pick
• ESPN analyst subtly hints that Dak Prescott's worst enemy is within his own building
• ESPN's WR rankings prove CeeDee Lamb was 100 percent right about George Pickens

This article was originally published on sportdfw.com as Cowboys' Jordyn Brooks' dream has officially ended (but fans don't need to worry).