Once upon a time, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was given the moniker Trader Jerry because of his reputation for making trades to improve his team. That might have been true early in his tenure as owner/GM, especially with the Hershel Walker deal helping contribute to his three Lombardi Trophies.
However, things had quieted down on Jones’ trading prowess, save for some draft deals in the past decade. Prior to acquiring George Pickens in May of 2025, the Cowboys hadn’t made a significant trade for a player since 2018, when they gave up a first-round pick for wide receiver Amari Cooper. Since then, only minor deals for a guy who was known for going big game hunting.
In the last 17 months, much has changed on trade front for Jones and the Cowboys.
The team has made seven trades for players that have a cost at higher than fourth-round compensation, including players the Cowboys have traded away. Here’s a look at how the front office has graded out in these deals.
Trade 1: Cowboys acquire Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a third and fifth-round selections
At the time, the Cowboys needed a WR to pair with CeeDee Lamb, and Pickens had an immediate impact. In Dallas, Pickens unlocked his potential, becoming an All-Pro and they still contend they want to keep him as part of their future. Pickens is among the best WRs in the league.
Grade: Cowboys win the deal, A
Trade 2: Cowboys trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark
This deal will never make sense; the Cowboys had one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers and they traded him because he and Jones got into their feelings. The last straw seemed to be when Parsons decided to lay down on a table during a preseason game.
It was a trade that brought back elite draft picks but probably should’ve netted the Cowboys at least another Day 2 selection. Also, Clark has been a shell of the player who the Cowboys thought they were getting. The veteran defensive tackle is no longer a top-tier option and is a middling rotational guy these days.
Grade: Deal gave the Cowboys flexibility to rebuild the defense, but it’s still a bad unit without Parsons, C
Trade 3: Cowboys trade a first and second-round picks to the New York Jets for Quinnen Williams
This deal looks fine on the surface; the team needed a star on a defensive line that couldn’t stop the run and got that in Williams. However, they did hand over a second-round pick in last April’s draft, as well as the higher of their two first round selections in the 2027 draft.
It’s a trade that gave away some of the Parsons compensation in hopes of having a Parsons-like effect on the Dallas defense. That hasn’t happened. Williams also got a big new contract, but he hasn’t had a big impact on the Cowboys’ defense yet. That needs to change quickly because this trade is starting to look like a mistake.
Grade: B
Trade 4: Cowboys trade a fourth-round pick to the Packers for Rashan Gary
In trading for Gary, the Cowboys dealt for a player that was likely to be released. The team gave up an early Day 3 pick in what’s considered the best draft in years just so they wouldn’t have to compete on the open market for a player that most teams knew was washed.
Gary was supposed to be a force against the run, as well as adding some pass rushing help to a defense that needed an influx of both. Through three games, he’s done neither and looks exactly like the player the Packersknew he was when they traded him. Gary looks close to being done.
Grade: D
Trade 5: Cowboys trade Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers for a third-round pick
When Christian Parker was hired, the prevailing thought was that his scheme wasn’t a fit for Odighizuwa. That quickly turned out to be the deciding factor in shipping the veteran DT out to the 49ers for the 92nd pick in last year’s draft.
That return gave the Cowboys a third-round pick they didn’t have going into the draft, which turned out to be the selection of linebacker Jaishawn Barham. That’s solid tradeoff for the Cowboys, Barham looks like a real player at a position where they needed help.
Grade: A
Trade 6: Cowboys trade third and sixth-round picks, and got a fourth-round pick back from the Steelers for Broderick Jones
In a typical Jones deal, the team traded for a first-round bust in exchange for what many called a swap of a late third-round selection for an early fourth. That remains to be seen, but the reality is the Cowboys traded a Day 2 pick for a Day 3 pick for a player who hasn’t proven to be very good since he entered the league and is coming off a neck injury.
Those 10-20 spots of suspected draft compensation currently sits at 42 spots, and that’s without factoring in compensatory picks. Trading for Jones, a player who has rarely seen the field in three games, for an almost two round swap of picks isn’t smart business.
Grade: D
Trade 7: Cowboys trade second and sixth-round picks to the Steelers for Joey Porter
The Cowboys had issues at cornerback before the trade, and with the injuries the team has sustained early in the year, Porter will be counted on to improve the pass defense quickly. Porter will arrive and immediately be the defenses best CB.
However, he’s also in the final year of his rookie deal and doesn’t have a contract extension. The good news is he’s expected to play out his contract without signing an extension, just as Pickens did last season after the team traded for him.
A source confirms that — like his teammate George Pickens — newly-acquired #Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is fine with playing in Dallas without a contract extension. He’s willing to play it out because the Cowboys are the team he most wanted to play for in leaving the… pic.twitter.com/wajXQf3rTi
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) October 1, 2026
It's still a hefty price to pay for a player who is only under contract for 14 more games before becoming eligible to be a free agent. Even if the Cowboys get the comp pick back for Porter if he signs elsewhere in free agency next offseason, which is expected to be a third-round selection, they lose valuable draft currency on Day 2 of the draft.
If the Cowboys want to hold onto Porter, they now have both Pickens and Porter up for lucrative extension next March, which can lead to the same headaches the team has dealt with for years. Paying great players has never been a strong attribute for Jones and the Cowboys’ front office, and now they have two decisions to make instead of one. Good luck, Cowboys fans.
Grade: B
Conclusion:
Trader Jerry has been working overtime in the last year and a half, but the results are debatable. He traded the best player (Parsons) away in any of the deals and not much has improved on the defense. The Cowboys also don’t have as much draft capital to help address their issues because the team continues to make questionable trades. Many of these deals reek of desperation because of time Jones doesn’t have.
But, as many fans have pointed out, at least they’re trying, which hasn’t always been the case. Hang the banner.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Grading Jerry Jones' recent uptick in trades for the Cowboys
