After going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, Durden played in just eight games between the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams through his first two seasons in the league, registering 13 tackles, one tackle for loss, 1.5 stuffs, and zero quarterback hits. However, since initially joining the Patriots practice squad in late-August before being signed to the active roster prior to Week 1, Durden has more than doubled all of those totals.
Toia's rookie season in Dallas was almost entirely a redshirt year. He appeared in only five games, recording one solo tackle and two assists, with no sacks, no forced fumbles and no other stats on the box score. PFF graded him at 29.9 overall on those limited snaps and explicitly tagged him as having not enough snaps, which tells you both how little he played and how little weight you should put on the grade at this stage.
Barrow was with UM for the 2024 season, earning All-ACC First-Team honors, recording 30 tackles (13 solo), eight for loss, 5 1/2 sacks and one forced fumble in 13 games and 12 starts. He transferred to the Hurricanes from Michigan State, where he had 110 tackles, 10 1/2 sacks, 18 1/2 tackles for loss, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, along with two blocked field goals in 34 games and 30 starts from 2020 through 2023.
Dallas also appears to be open to trading 2023 first-round DT Mazi Smith, who has only played in five games this season. This is the first time the team has been mentioned as potentially moving on from Smith. Coming out of training camp, Smith was on the brink of being released after preseason standout Perrion Winfrey came on strong to finish the summer. The Cowboys also picked Jay Toia in the draft, who they were high on as a developmental player at the one-tech position.
Bailey has been a force off the edge this season, and he leads the FBS with a 24.6% pressure rate to go along with 8.5 sacks, which are tied for first. He is a constant disruptor who can win with speed or power. And with Micah Parsons now in Green Bay, the Cowboys need a potent pass-rushing presence outside, which Bailey could provide. Dallas' 11 sacks are tied for 22nd in the NFL, and that defense is giving up 6.2 yards per play, which ranks 30th.
Trying to bolster one of their weakest positions, the New York Jets acquired defensive tackles Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs in separate trades on Wednesday. The Jets traded two seventh-round picks (2026 and 2027) to the Minnesota Vikings for Phillips and a 2027 seventh-round pick, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The trade is pending a physical. The Vikings agreed to pay $3.7 million of Phillips' $7.4 million salary for 2025, a source told Schefter.
While Johnny Newton only managed two sacks in his rookie year, his quickness and disruptive ability in the run game were positively noted, reflecting his potential to impact the defense positively.
