Cowboys owner Jerry Jones voices interest in swinging NFL draft trade
FRISCO, Texas — Jerry Jones won’t rule it out.
Deal-making on draft weekend? The Cowboys owner/general manager is open to it.
“I would trade up this draft,” he said Wednesday when asked about his philosophy on trades. “I would trade up since we’re down as low as we are in those first two, three rounds if we had a chance to and someone we really coveted was sitting at the bottom, if (a Travis) Frederick was sitting down there at the bottom and we were able to trade up there and get them.”
The Cowboys are first scheduled to draft with the 24th overall pick. They then return in Round 2 for the 56th overall pick followed by spot 88 in Round 3. The team is scheduled to draft six more times between No. 129 and 193.
OPINION: NFL must face unavoidable truth: Dan Snyder has to go
MORE: Responses to Dwayne Haskins' death expose ugly truths about sports fans
Last year, the Cowboys held the 10th overall pick and sought an elite cornerback. But the Panthers drafted Jaycee Horn at 8, the Broncos then snagging Patrick Surtain II at 9. The Cowboys traded down from 10th to 12th before selecting linebacker Micah Parsons. The hybrid pass rusher/middle linebacker notched 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and 84 tackles en route to unanimous NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Could the Cowboys find another defensive gem like Parsons this year? Jones told Dallas reporters at the Senior Bowl that the team would not rule out a best-player-available expenditure if a talent like Parsons or receiver CeeDee Lamb (Dallas’ 2020 selection at 17th overall) fell their way and touted strong value.
But offensive line is a position the Cowboys sorely need to upgrade. Their starting left guard spot is open to competition after Connor Williams left for Miami in free agency. Their center play, a spot at which Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones expressed interest introducing competition to, muddied game plans in 2021. The Cowboys also released starting right tackle La’el Collins, whom the Bengals signed. Third-year undrafted free agent Terence Steele is expected to start right opposite eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith, but Dallas must still consider its left tackle outlook: Injuries have sidelined Smith at least three games each of the last six seasons. He played just two before season-ending neck surgery in 2020 and was healthy for 11 of 17 games in 2021.
The Cowboys must protect $40 million-per-year quarterback Dak Prescott.
“When I look at what has happened since we’ve done (Dak’s) contract, the reps, the way Dak has evolved, what we’re doing in here to look for players to complement what he does the best,” Jones said. “That’s who, in my mind, we’re complementing whether we’re blocking them out, whether we’re basically trying to get him some field position. So yes, we’re glad we got him.”
Expect the Cowboys to also pursue receiver, tight end and pass rusher depth in the draft. Dallas traded top receiver Amari Cooper and his $22 million salary to Cleveland last month; lost receivers Cedrick Wilson (Miami) and Malik Turner (San Francisco) in free agency; and released big-bodied target Blake Jarwin after the tight end’s hip surgery threatened his career. Dallas’ pass rush depth earned some wins – the return of DeMarcus Lawrence, the addition of Dante Fowler Jr. – even as Randy Gregory, the Cowboys’ 2015 second-round pick, left for Denver.
Jones said draft prep is building toward a “crescendo,” medical questions and prospect visits swirling in his mind. He doesn’t only consider first-round trade-ups, also eager to ponder moving up from his second- and third-round slots in a year where eight teams have traded away their first-round picks, the defending Super Bowl champion Rams not in contention until pick No. 104, the penultimate spot of the third round.
Jones doesn’t aim to emulate teams like the Broncos, Browns and Colts, who opted to acquire veteran quarterbacks in exchange for draft picks. Nor does he wish to emulate the Browns’ latest quarterback contract, Deshaun Watson netting $230 million fully guaranteed across five years.
Jones instead sighed of relief Wednesday from the atrium of team headquarters at the Star, mere inches away from where he celebrated Prescott’s $160 million extension 13 months prior. The contract is still lucrative—but also more team-friendly in both annual value and with its $126 million in guarantees.
“I’m proud we have it,” Jones said. “Deshaun’s contract was a big one. Just reinforces that it just takes one or two teams to really covet a player and they really get those numbers on up there.”
Follow Paste BN Sports Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.