The Dallas Cowboys tried to pull off a blockbuster trade that involved multiple first-round picks during the opening night of the NFL Draft this year, but the deal ended up falling through because the Cleveland Browns weren’t interested in what Dallas had to offer.
The reason we know about the offer is because it was unveiled in documentary over the weekend.
For the most part, we don’t usually get to hear about the rejected trade offers that happen at the draft, but we know about this one because the Cowboys and Browns both took part in “The Pick is In.” The documentary, which was produced by ESPN and Skydance Sports, aired on Sunday night and it offered an unprecedented look into how three different teams handled the draft (Cowboys, Raiders, Browns).
The show offered access into each team’s war room, so we got a firsthand look at every trade and trade offer that these teams made over the seven rounds of the draft.
The deal between the Cowboys and Browns would have involved the two teams swapping first-round picks. However, before we get to the details of that deal, we have to take a closer look the first-round trade that Cleveland made with Kansas City, because that set the stage for the Cowboys’ offer.
Browns-Chiefs trade: Cleveland was eyeing three players at sixth overall
The Browns went into the draft with two picks in the first round at sixth overall and 24th overall, but they didn’t end up making a selection at six because they sent that pick to Kansas City. In the trade with the Chiefs, the Browns got the ninth overall pick from Kansas City along with a 2026 third-round pick (74th overall) and a 2026 fifth-round pick (148th overall). In return, the Chiefs got only the sixth overall pick.
The reason the Browns were willing to trade down is because they were eyeing one of three players — WR Jordyn Tyson, OT Spencer Fano or OT Francis Mauigoa — and they knew that at least one of those players would drop to them at ninth overall.
“We have three guys that we would take [at sixth], Fano, Tyson and Mauigoa,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry reported while explaining the trade in Cleveland’s war room. “We go to nine and we’re guaranteed one of those positions.”
With the Browns now sitting at ninth overall, the set the stage for the drama involving the Cowboys.
Cowboys call Browns and make blockbuster offer
With the Browns on the clock at ninth overall, the Cowboys made a call to Cleveland’s war room and that’s when things got kind of crazy.
The Cowboys put a trade on the table that would have involved four first-round picks. Here are the terms of the deal that Dallas proposed:
- Browns get: 2026 first-round pick (12th overall), 2026 first-round pick (20th overall)
- Cowboys get: 2026 first-round pick (ninth overall), 2026 first-round pick (24th overall)
After getting the offer, Berry definitely wasn’t impressed.
“They want to do nine and 24 for 12 and 20, which is light on all dimensions,” Berry reported.
According to the Jimmy Johnson trade chart, which some teams use to asses the value of each draft pick, the Browns’ two picks were worth 2,090 points while the Cowboys picks were worth 2,050 points. On paper, the trade value wasn’t quite even, so Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones offered to throw in a 2026 fifth-round pick.
“If we threw in a five, would that change [your thinking],” Jones asked.
Even after the Cowboys sweetened the offer, Berry still turned the deal down.
The Cowboys were obviously targeting Caleb Downs and although they didn’t get a deal done with the Browns, they did make a trade with the Dolphins to move up to 11th overall.
The crazy thing is that the Cowboys ALMOST RAN OUT OF TIME while trying to draft Downs. After finalizing the trade with the Dolphins, Dallas had just 10 seconds to make a pick.
If the Cowboys had run out of time, the next team on the clock would have been allowed to jump in and make a pick at 11th overall. Of course, the Dolphins were in the 12th spot and they wouldn’t have stolen Downs, because they were targeting a tackle (They ended up taking Kadyn Proctor), so the Cowboys gaffe would have been ugly, but it likely wouldn’t have cost them Downs.
The fact that the Cowboys were willing to trade up to ninth overall to get Downs tells you how much this team likes its new safety. For the Cowboys, not getting a deal down with the Browns didn’t really impact anything. If they had picked at nine and 24th, there’s a good chance they would have ended up with the same two players they ended up getting anyway (Downs and Malachi Lawrence). However, for the Browns, accepting the trade would have changed everything.
Why the Browns likely weren’t interested in the Cowboys trade offer
For the Browns, the trade just didn’t make much sense and there’s one big reason for that: If they had dropped down to 12th, they almost certainly would have NOT gotten one of the top three guys they were targeting.
Tyson went off the board at eighth overall to New Orleans, so by the time the Browns got on the clock at ninth overall, they were down to just two players they wanted (Fano and Mauigoa).
If they had traded back to 12th, those two tackles almost certainly would have been off the board. The Giants had the pick at 10th overall and they selected Mauigoa. At that point, the Browns would have down to just Fano on their draft board and he likely wouldn’t have made it to 12 because the Dolphins were also looking to draft a tackle at 11th overall (The Dolphins ended up trading back one spot to take OL Kadyn Proctor at 12th overall).
Turning down the Cowboys’ offer seemed to work out for the Browns. Not only did they end up getting one of their guys (Fano) at ninth overall, but they also added two picks in the trade with the Chiefs (74th overall, 148th overall). They turned around and traded pick 74 to the Giants for three more picks (105th, 145th and a 2027 fourth-round pick). They also traded away pick 148, which went to Seattle in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick, so not only did the Browns beef up their draft this year, but they also added two fourth-round picks for 2027.
Cowboys drama continues in deal with Eagles
After getting Downs with the 11th pick, the Cowboys were back on the clock at 20th overall and they had a wild interaction with the Eagles before eventually making a trade.
With the Cowboys on the clock, they were definitely ready to make a deal, but Stephen Jones wanted it done on his terms. At one point, someone in the Cowboys war room told Jones to “Just call Howie,” referring to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. However, it seems that Jones wanted Roseman to call the Cowboys so that Dallas would have more leverage in the deal.
“If we call, we’re going to be giving him a sixth,” Jones reported. “I’m hoping he’ll call and say we’ll do it for the two [fourth-round picks].
Jones’ decision to wait ended up paying off. In the end, it was Roseman who called Dallas and the Cowboys got exactly what they wanted in the trade: They got their two fourth-round picks and they didn’t have to send a sixth-round pick back to Philadelphia.
- Cowboys get: 2026 first-round pick (23rd overall), 2026 fourth-round pick (114th overall), 2026 fourth-round pick (137th overall)
- Eagles get: 2026 first-round pick (20th overall), 2027 seventh-round pick
The Eagles used their pick to take USC receiver Makai Lemon (and unfortunately, the Steelers were not included in this documentary, because it would definitely have been interesting to see the reaction in their war room after Philly stole Lemon away from them).
As for the Cowboys, they took the haul they got from the Eagles and used all three of those picks on defense, taking Lawrence (23rd), DB Devin Moore (114th) and DE LT Overton (137th).
Roseman didn’t get fleeced in this deal — the Eagles got they guy they wanted and he didn’t grossly overpay — but Jones certainly deserves some credit for getting the deal done on the terms the Cowboys wanted it done.
It’s incredibly fascinating to see everything that goes on behind the scenes during the draft and this documentary just gave us a small taste of how hectic each team’s war room is over the course of the three-day event.
