2026 NFL Trade Deadline Thread

[Aggiepride]

100 Billion Dollars! Jerry Jones has wells worth 100 Billion dollars! At the 2:55 mark if you want to skip ahead.

 

[English Cowboy]

Remember that Jerry offered a 4 for Trey Lance who literally could not throw the football. Watching him play in College Station, I think he has a chance. But sure, my default is to keep the picks.

It's just that if there is any hope for this season at all, we need to shore up the DT position.

Mazi Smith is sooooo bad.

"PFF has given Smith a run defense grade of 36.2, which puts him at 174th out of 186 defensive tackles in the league."

Lance is a QB originally taken with a top-3 overall pick though. Jackson is a late 3rd round DT who has played very little in two seasons. He may be good, but he's not worth any more than a 7th in the current market. I wouldn't be against a straight swap for Mazi though.

 

[Aggiepride]

Lance is a QB originally taken with a top-3 overall pick though. Jackson is a late 3rd round DT who has played very little in two seasons. He may be good, but he's not worth any more than a 7th in the current market. I wouldn't be against a straight swap for Mazi though.

YES, but the difference is Lance PROVED he CANNOT play! I don't know why it is so difficult for people to understand.

When the trade was made, I went to YouTube, I watched the reports out of San Fran. Lance could NOT play. It was obvious. Every fan of San Fran, every YouTuber that follows San Fran was saying he had trouble throwing the ball, trouble reading the defenses, and more.

That was AFTER Shanahan gave him every single opportunity to prove himself.

It's still not obvious that McKinley can't play (at least not from my very quick and dirty analysis). There is still an upside.

A MUCH better analogy for Lance would be MAZI SMITH. MAZI HAS PROVEN HE SUCKS! Dallas has given him every opportunity. They've tried tough love, they've tried being tough, they've tried love, they've tried to change his position, they've tried everything.

That was more like the Trey Lance situation. What round he was picked in is irrelevant.

Our great GM putting in "Peyton Manning" hours.

 

[dbair1967]

Remember that Jerry offered a 4 for Trey Lance who literally could not throw the football. Watching him play in College Station, I think he has a chance. But sure, my default is to keep the picks.

It's just that if there is any hope for this season at all, we need to shore up the DT position.

Mazi Smith is sooooo bad.

"PFF has given Smith a run defense grade of 36.2, which puts him at 174th out of 186 defensive tackles in the league."

Exaggeration gets you no points.

We paid a 4th for Lance, who was a top-5 pick in the NFL draft had only been in the league a couple years.

There's a big difference between paying a 4th for a young top-5 pick overall QB prospect and a 4th for a guy who was just drafted in the 3rd a yr before and to date has been so bad he doesnt even suit up on game days.

 

[dbair1967]

YES, but the difference is Lance PROVED he CANNOT play! I don't know why it is so difficult for people to understand.

When the trade was made, I went to YouTube, I watched the reports out of San Fran. Lance could NOT play. It was obvious. Every fan of San Fran, every YouTuber that follows San Fran was saying he had trouble throwing the ball, trouble reading the defenses, and more.

That was AFTER Shanahan gave him every single opportunity to prove himself.

It's still not obvious that McKinley can't play (at least not from my very quick and dirty analysis). There is still an upside.

A MUCH better analogy for Lance would be MAZI SMITH. MAZI HAS PROVEN HE SUCKS! Dallas has given him every opportunity. They've tried tough love, they've tried being tough, they've tried love, they've tried to change his position, they've tried everything.

That was more like the Trey Lance situation. What round he was picked in is irrelevant.

Our great GM putting in "Peyton Manning" hours.

Facts can be your friend too Aggie.

Lance won the starting QB job two different times in San Fran. He lost it because he got hurt, not because he got outplayed.

Mazi sucks and doesnt play more because he sucks, not because he got injured and then Wally Pipped

Gambling a 4th on a QB prospect who was good enough to be drafted early and only had a couple yrs in the league is no cardinal sin.

 

[dbair1967]

hmmmmm

 

[dbair1967]

 

[dbair1967]

Stephen Jones Sends Bold Message on Cowboys’ Trade Deadline Plans​

Story by Pat Pickens
• 1h•
3 min read

The Dallas Cowboys are all in on the 2025 NFL season. But they’ll also consider moving players off their roster to address areas of need.

Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president and CEO, addressed why the Cowboys would be considered both buyers and sellers ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline on Tuesday.

The Cowboys (3-4-1) are in second place in the NFC East and sit 2.5 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Eagles. They’re just 1.5 games back of the San Francisco 49ers for the final NFC playoff spot.

Dallas will host the Arizona Cardinals (2-5) on Monday Night Football mere hours before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Stephen Jones: ‘Sometimes Player For Player [Trades] Can Be Very Interesting’​

The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL. They rank first in the NFL in passing-yards per game (263.8), second in yards per game (384.1) and points per game (30.8).

Yet, Dallas is middling due to its woeful defense. The Cowboys are 31st in the NFL in yards-against per game (404.6) and points-against per game (31.3) and have allowed at least 30 points in five of their eight games this seaso

So Jones knows the Cowboys can use their strength on offense to potentially acquire defensive reinforcements.

“I think there’s a lot of things that go into us improving as a defense,” Jones told KTFM on Thursday. “If you can find a player that upgrades you, as I’ve always said, we’re always looking for that every year. Whether it’s by trade or whether it’s a player acquisition, it comes by a lot of shapes, forms and fashions.”

Cowboys fans may be incensed at the team’s scuffling defense, since the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade sapped the team of one of its most talented players. Still, according to Jones, there are deals to be made to improve.

“We have areas where we have depth, and sometimes player-for-player [trades] can be very interesting to us,” Jones said. “We’re also in consideration for giving up a player for us getting a pick and vice versa. It goes all ways.”

 

[Aggiepride]

Exaggeration gets you no points.

We paid a 4th for Lance, who was a top-5 pick in the NFL draft had only been in the league a couple years.

There's a big difference between paying a 4th for a young top-5 pick overall QB prospect and a 4th for a guy who was just drafted in the 3rd a yr before and to date has been so bad he doesnt even suit up on game days.

How many years do you need to see before you decide a first round pick player can't play in the age of free agency? You know that 3 years thing was invented way before free agency.

A top 5 pick shows virtually nothing, and you pretend that somehow that trade was good? I threw out a 4th as a possibility. I'm not married to it.

Do you think some GM out there is willing to give the Cowboys a 4th for Mazi Smith just because he was a first-round pick? Again, first round picks are typically given every opportunity, every chance in practice. 3rd rounders not quite as much.

Instead of constantly trying to defend that trade, just admit that it was a bad trade and keep your credibility. It was obvious that Trey could not play.

And, just for the record, I didn't think Mazi was a first round worthy selection either. At best he was a second-rounder. I think Mazi was a McCarthy desire.

McKinnley played 13 games in his rookie year after a knee injury. He had 15 tackles and one sack.

Then, in his second year, he's been a healthy scratch for 8 games with a new DC. but based on what I can gather, some of that might be due to him not fitting in with what the new DC wants to do.

Whereas Mazi is not an NFL player, Jackson might still be an effective 3 even at his size. He does have penetrating ability. A quick get off for a big man, He's explosive and twitchy, but because of his size he's being pigeon-holed in Cincy to NT, even though his best trait is get off (unlike Mazi who is often last to get off).

While not great, PFF gives Jackson a run defense grade of 49.4, which is better than Mazi's 36/37. And his pass grade is 59.5, while Mazi's pass grade is 60. But move Jackson to 3 and the pass grade could improve.

I'm not saying Jackson is the second coming of Cortez Kennedy, but he might be useful in a rotation, unlike Mazi, who is a total waste of roster space.

 

[Doomsday]

Instead of constantly trying to defend that trade, just admit that it was a bad trade and keep your credibility. It was obvious that Trey could not play

I don't see anybody trying to defend the trade per se, most of us believe giving up a 4th to kick the tires ourself wasn't overly harmful. I haven't seen anyone say it was a good trade.

 

[Maveric]

 

[Maveric]

 

[English Cowboy]

NFC Trade Notes: Mafe, Woolen, Shaheed, Cowboys, Packers, Buccaneers, Lions

Boye Mafe and Tariq Woolen are among the names to watch on the trade front, but the Seahawks would prefer to keep both. More at PFR.

www.profootballrumors.com

Logan Wilson‘s trade request is still in effect, and he is among the defenders worth monitoring on the Bengals. A number of teams have made calls recently, and Schefter reports the Cowboys are among them. Dallas could stand to use one (or more) defensive additions given the team’s play on that side of the ball, and the team is not only in the market for rentals. Wilson – who has 65 starts to his name – is under contract through 2027.

 

[dbair1967]

I don't see anybody trying to defend the trade per se, most of us believe giving up a 4th to kick the tires ourself wasn't overly harmful. I haven't seen anyone say it was a good trade.

Incite that Aggie fan probably doesn't understand, even though its been explained that way forever.

 

[dbair1967]

There were internet murmurs Friday the Eagles were prepared to give the Browns THREE first round picks for Garrett.

 

[dbair1967]

How many years do you need to see before you decide a first round pick player can't play in the age of free agency? You know that 3 years thing was invented way before free agency.

A top 5 pick shows virtually nothing, and you pretend that somehow that trade was good? I threw out a 4th as a possibility. I'm not married to it.

Do you think some GM out there is willing to give the Cowboys a 4th for Mazi Smith just because he was a first-round pick? Again, first round picks are typically given every opportunity, every chance in practice. 3rd rounders not quite as much.

Instead of constantly trying to defend that trade, just admit that it was a bad trade and keep your credibility. It was obvious that Trey could not play.

And, just for the record, I didn't think Mazi was a first round worthy selection either. At best he was a second-rounder. I think Mazi was a McCarthy desire.

McKinnley played 13 games in his rookie year after a knee injury. He had 15 tackles and one sack.

Then, in his second year, he's been a healthy scratch for 8 games with a new DC. but based on what I can gather, some of that might be due to him not fitting in with what the new DC wants to do.

Whereas Mazi is not an NFL player, Jackson might still be an effective 3 even at his size. He does have penetrating ability. A quick get off for a big man, He's explosive and twitchy, but because of his size he's being pigeon-holed in Cincy to NT, even though his best trait is get off (unlike Mazi who is often last to get off).

While not great, PFF gives Jackson a run defense grade of 49.4, which is better than Mazi's 36/37. And his pass grade is 59.5, while Mazi's pass grade is 60. But move Jackson to 3 and the pass grade could improve.

I'm not saying Jackson is the second coming of Cortez Kennedy, but he might be useful in a rotation, unlike Mazi, who is a total waste of roster space.

I wouldn't be opposed to trading for Jackson, but not for a 4th and I doubt anyone would give them that.

As for the Lance stuff, it's apparent that unless I can break out construction paper and crayon to draw you a picture that you just don't get it. The QB position is the most important on the field. The Cowboys had very publicly said they had wanted to draft a developmental QB that yr in April, and it didnt work out. They then traded a 4th to get a guy that was a very early pick just two yrs prior. He was only 23 yrs old when we traded for him. He didnt have much experience (8 total games) and his rookie yr stats were 5 tds, 2 picks and a 97.3 QB rating. He won the starting job two separate times and got injured. He wasn't "benched" or "beaten out". There was absolutely nothing that screams "LOUSY TRADE!!!!" when you flip a day three pick for a big kid with excellent athletic skill and high end arm talent.

And if you don't understand why someone might value a 23yr QB who was picked extremely early more than a late 1st rd pick DT who has shown little in 2 yrs, I just can't help you.

For the record (again) nobody called this a "good" trade, many of us thought it was worth the risk. There's a difference amigo. They invested a day three pick in a young QB prospect with some physical talent.

We kept him for two yrs and at worst he was a guy who could have been a solid careeer #2 guy. Jim Harbaugh certainly had no issue with scooping him up immediately for that purpose.

 

[dbair1967]

 

[dbair1967]

 

[dbair1967]

He's definitely on the list of guys I'd try to trade. I doubt he has much value but even if you got a 5th or 6th at this point I'd move him.

I'd add Jalen Tolbert (who has some value), Sam Williams (probably limited value, maybe a late rd pick at best and it might not even be for a 2026 pick). TJ Bass definitely has some value but we have limited depth on the OL now with all the injuries so they might have to hold him. Dante Fowler is another guy I'd think about moving, he's really only had one good game all yr. I doubt anyone would want Donovan Wilson but I'd trade him for a 7th in a heartbeat too.

If someone would give us something for Travon Diggs, would have to strongly consider it.

 

[dbair1967]