Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones signs for a fan during an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys are one day away from the 2023 NFL draft, and it appears that all options, including a trade, are on the table for Dallas.
Dallas has the No. 26 overall selection in this year’s draft after an exit in the Divisional Round this past January. The Cowboys have seven picks total, some of which are not their original selection but added via trades.
As the draft gets closer, Dallas EVP Stephen Jones has been speaking on the team’s approach. On April 25, Jones made a noteworthy comment when talking about trading picks for a player.
“We don’t ever rule anything out,” Jones said, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Obviously you’re in quick evaluation mode. And I’ll say this, veterans right before the draft usually come at a good price. After the draft, then things go back up again [because] people aren’t valuing picks as much because you’re a year away from using them, so it’s harder to make something happen.”
Considering that Dallas is months removed from the Divisional Round and did not lose many key pieces in the draft, adding a proven veteran rather than a talent that needs to be developed could be the kind of addition that can elevate it.
Jones Speaks on Agents, ‘Fire-Selling’ Trades
Besides stating his openness to a trade for a player in the next few days, Jones also commented on the complications of making that kind of deal happen. It’s not as simple as finding the right pick or picks to give up for a player.
Trying to get a trade done in a timely manner can be difficult enough, but draft days feature much closer deadlines and harder conversations with agents and the like.
“There have been some things where people might be fire-selling a veteran, but one of the problems you got is usually when you’re talking about trading a guy, which it did with both [Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks,] there’s the evaluation and a lot of times having to work through it with an agent on what the contract is going to look like if we make the trade,” Jones said.
The Cowboys obviously aren’t afraid to trade for the right player, but Jones isn’t making it seem like their overly optimistic that a deal could pop up this week.
Cowboys Confirm Discussions
Jones’ comments on April 25 were preceded by his words on April 24 when he confirmed that the Cowboys had engaged in draft trade discussions. According to Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken, none of the discussions are concrete.
“Very few trades are done on the backend,” Jones explained. “I just think it will be a game-day decision, if you will, on how it evolves.”
That sounds par for the course when it comes to draft trades, but it’s still eye-catching to see the Cowboys EVP confirm that there are trade discussions happening in the buildup to April 27. Dallas has been predicted to trade back, trade up and maybe even go several picks up for a player like Texas RB Bijan Robinson.