Jason Burgos
While there has been a lot of buzz about the Dallas Cowboys trading up in Round 1 of the NFL Draft, owner and general manager Jerry Jones just poured cold water on the idea.
Heading into Round 1 of the 2026 draft tonight, there has been an unusual amount of trade chatter. This year’s class at quarterback is weak, so teams in the top 10 seem to be far more open to the idea of moving down to get more draft assets this year or next.
That is a good thing for a team like the Cowboys because they own two picks in the top 20 of this year’s event. Furthermore, Jones has always shown a willingness during his reign to make bold moves. So trading up into the top three or five to go after players like Texas Tech’s David Bailey, or Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles seems plausible because they could help fill the void left by last year’s Micah Parsons trade.
Jerry Jones won’t be making calls to trade up in NFL Draft
However, it doesn’t look like Jones has any intention of being aggressive to get a trade done, as the speculation suggests. In a recent interview (h/t Pro Football Talk), Jones revealed that while he has been getting calls about a trade, he is in no rush to pick up the phone and broker a deal to go after Bailey, Reese, or Styles.
But why would he choose not to be aggressive to make a move? Well, it seems that Jones now believes being patient will be better for the Cowboys. “[Trade offers are] usually better, candidly, coming in than going out. The results are better for us,” Jones said.
It’s a very surprising opinion from a man who has never been afraid to take risks to add potential stars or impact players. However, for Cowboys fans hoping the team moves up to get an elite pass rusher, it seems that Jones is just fine holding on to their picks at 12 and 20, respectively, if he doesn’t like the trade up offers he gets.
It also can’t be ruled out that Jones is playing coy in the hopes that current offers get better heading into Round 1 tonight.
