The Dallas Cowboys are once again in the driver’s seat to start the 2026 NFL season off right. They’re headed to MetLife Stadium to face the NFC East rival New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, and the Cowboys are historically elite against their divisional foes, especially in Week 1 matchups.

Brian Schottenheimer’s squad is already at an advantage because Dak Prescott destroys the Giants, but then there’s the roster aspect. it appears unlikely that Malik Nabers will be ready to return in time for the opening week of the season, and he may not even be the only key player they’ll be without.

Cam Skattebo could be the same, but I’m not referring to an injured player this time around. Kayvon Thibodeaux may not be available in New York, but that could be due to trade speculation that has lasted the duration of the offseason — and it would be surprising to see him still a Giant come Week 1.

The Dallas Cowboys could face a Kayvon Thibodeaux-less Giants team in Week 1

Thibodeaux has been largely disappointing throughout his four NFL seasons. His 11.5-sack campaign in 2023 was more of an anomaly than a sign of the player he is. And that’s because he hasn’t surpassed 5.5 sacks in any of his other three seasons, and the Giants aren’t going to pay him.

With a potential trade in mind, ESPN had Jeremy Fowler, Seth Walder, Ben Solak, and Dan Graziano pitch four different trade offers for the former top-five pick. Fowler traded him to the Saints, Graziano sent him to New England, Solak dealt him to the Chiefs, and Walder shipped him to the LA Rams.

The trade speculation has surrounded Thibodeaux all offseason long, and when you pull back the curtain, it makes sense. He’s entering a contract year, and since the Giants have drafted Arvell Reese and Abdul Carter inside the top five in each of the last two NFL Drafts, they don’t really need him.

In the event that he actually is traded, that would impact the Cowboys. The whole draw of the new John Harbaugh era in New York has been the rebuild within the trenches, and despite his lack of consistent NFL production, offloading Thibodeaux would further weaken the Giants in that area.

Thibodeaux’s upside in the right system is legit, and the Giants seemingly have that now, but if trading him means a brighter future in East Rutherford, Harbaugh may not hesitate to pull the trigger.

That would be a great turn of events for Dallas.