Looking back on the Cowboys offseason trades is interesting.
The Dallas Cowboys have had a busy offseason using every method of player acquisition to help improve their team. It’s a stark contrast to prior years because of how active they have been in free agency, both in retaining their own and signing players from other teams. This offseason, the Cowboys have whipped their checkbooks out and spent some money. Between free agency and the draft, here is a quick breakdown of what the team has done so far.
- Re-signed ten of their own free agents
- Signed nine outside free agents
- Drafted nine new college players
- Signed nine new undrafted free agents
For a complete list of players, click here.
But that’s not all. The Cowboys have also traded away late-round draft capital to acquire the services of players who can help shore up some of the areas of the roster with weak spots. Over the last two months, the team has made the following trades:
Kenneth Murray, LB – Tennessee Titans
Cowboys get: Murray + 2025 seventh-round pick
Titans get: 2025 sixth-round pick
Kaiir Elam, CB – Buffalo Bills
Cowboys get: Elam + 2025 sixth-round pick
Bills get: 2025 5th round pick + 2026 seventh-round pick
Joe Milton, QB – New England Patriots
Cowboys get: Milton + 2025 seventh-round pick
Patriots get: 2025 fifth-round pick
You may have noticed that each of these trades came with some draft capital kickback, meaning even though it cost the Cowboys a draft pick, they are got a draft pick back in return, albeit of lesser value, but this still allowed them to throw some darts at some of the players they like on their draft board. Late in the draft there might not be much of a difference in the players they would have selected with their original pick compared to their newly acquired pick. In those instances, the trade cost them practically nothing.
Additionally, the Cowboys are putting their compensatory picks to good use. The fifth-rounders they gave up for Elam and Milton were both comp picks. The front office chose to diversify its draft capital portfolio by using some of it to acquire current NFL players who have already demonstrated what they have to offer a team.
When you group everything, this is what all of these moves look like together:
Cowboys get…
- Kenneth Murray
- Kaiir Elam
- Joe Milton
- 2025 6th-round pick
- Two 2025 7th-round picks
Cowboys give up…
- Two 2025 5th-round compensatory picks
- 2025 6th-round pick
- 2026 7th-round pick
Or, to simplify it even further, and take the sum of all the draft capital involved, it would look like this…
Cowboys get: Murray, Elam, and Milton
Cowboys give up: a late 2025 4th-round pick
Put like that, the Cowboys made great use of their draft capital in trades by not only getting players they think can help them, but also by getting draft capital refunds that reduce their overall costs.
It’s important to mention that Murray ($7.4 million), Elam ($2.6 million), and Milton ($1 million) still come with costs associated with their current contracts, but none of these are significant. This is good work by the front office. The team is using all facets of roster building and they’re doing a pretty decent job at it.