EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFRISCO, Texas -- When Jerry Jones was early in his tenure as Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager, Al Davis had some advice."Don't even answer a call from your division," the former Raiders boss told Jones. "Jerry, this is all about strategizing against your division opponents because you play them twice and you can't get that edge there."Jones admits, "I didn't take that lesson from Al."In the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, Jones made his seventh trade with Dallas' NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles. No two teams have made more draft-day deals since Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989.Dallas moved down from No. 20 in the first round to No. 23 to gain two fourth-round picks (Nos. 114 and 137) while also giving up a 2027 seventh-round selection.Given the Eagles' success -- three Super Bowl appearances and one victory in the past nine years -- and the positive reputation of Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman, some believe it's not the wisest of moves for the Cowboys to deal directly with their NFC East rivals."If you eliminate all the teams that I want to beat their ass, you wouldn't have anybody to trade with, so to speak," Jones said.In the most recent move with the Eagles, Philadelphia was able to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, who was on the phone with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the time of the trade.The Cowboys got the player they say they would have selected at No. 20 had they not traded down -- UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence -- and picked up Florida cornerback Devin Moore and Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton with the fourth-rounders.This came after the Cowboys gave up two fifth-round selections in a trade with the Miami Dolphins to move up one spot in the first round (No. 11 overall) to take Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.As much as some believe the Cowboys are helping Roseman do his job, "He's helping us do our job, too," executive vice president Stephen Jones said.In 2021, the Cowboys moved down two spots in the first round in a deal with the Eagles and gained a third-round pick. Philadelphia took wide receiver DeVonta Smith, while the Cowboys got Micah Parsons (No. 12 overall) and defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (No. 84 overall).In 2020, the Cowboys got their starting center in a mid-draft trade with the Eagles, getting Tyler Biadasz in the fourth round for a fifth-round pick in 2020 (ultimately dealt to Miami) and a fifth-rounder in 2021 (running back Kenneth Gainwell).In 2010, Roseman's first year as general manager, the Cowboys flipped second-rounders with the Eagles and gave up a fourth-rounder in order to get linebacker Sean Lee. Philadelphia dealt the second-rounder to the Cleveland Browns and took tight end Clay Harbor in the fourth round. Lee became a Pro Bowler and the leader of Dallas' defense.In 2007, the Cowboys picked outside linebacker Anthony Spencer 26th overall after trading second-, third- and fifth-round picks to the Eagles. Spencer made a Pro Bowl and was a solid complement to DeMarcus Ware.The Eagles aren't the only rival with which the Cowboys have made deals. They traded twice with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, sending defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to their NFC West rival for a third-round pick (which they used to draft linebacker Jaishawn Barham) in March and acquiring linebacker Dee Winters for a fifth-round pick last weekend.Stephen Jones admitted it makes for "strange bedfellows," dealing with not only the Eagles but also the Niners, who eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs in 2021 and '22."It's just having confidence in what you're doing," Stephen Jones said. "I mean, we traded with the 49ers twice already this offseason and they're every bit the rival, in some degree, as the Eagles are. And I get asked the same thing about that. We're doing what's in our best interest and we feel like if we do our job, ultimately, and get the job done correctly, then we're going to go be able to beat them when it really counts. Not who won this trade or who won that trade. It's going to be who wins the game when you're going up against them. And that's ultimately what we got to do."Now, if you say, look at the score the last couple of times and you can say, 'Well, hey, they got the upper hand right now.' I understand that, but we're building toward getting the upper hand."
