Skip to main content
Join Now

Cowboys attempted to trade first-round draft picks with Browns before selecting Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones05/04/26brianjones_93

The Dallas Cowboys were looking to make a big trade with the Cleveland Browns during the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. On the ESPN special The Pick Is In, it showed the Cowboys attempting to trade their two first-round picks (No. 12 and No. 20) and a fifth-round pick to the Browns for their two first-round picks (No. 9 and No. 24). Cleveland turned it down and selected OL Spencer Fano at No. 9.

“They want to do 12 and 20 for 9 and 24, which is light on all dimensions,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in the team draft room just as the Saints were selecting Jordyn Tyson. With Cleveland on the clock, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones called Berry directly to potentially sweeten the deal with an additional fifth-round pick, but Berry wasn’t interested. “That wouldn’t move the needle for us,” Berry told Jones.

“I keep hearing Cleveland wants an offensive lineman and they’re worried New York’s going to take him,” Stephen Jones said. “They don’t want to get behind the Giants.” Before the Browns rejected the Cowboys’ trade, they moved down in the first round from No. 6 overall to No. 9 in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. With the pick, the Chiefs selected CB Mansoor Delane.

Cowboys still made first-round draft trades despite Browns’ rejection

The Cowboys still made a couple of trades in the first round. First, Dallas traded to No. 11 with the Dolphins to select Caleb Downs. And when the Cowboys were on the clock at No. 20, they made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to move down to No. 23 to select pass rusher Malachi Lawrence.

The Pick Is In showed the Cowboys discussing potentially selecting Lawrence. If they couldn’t trade down to 23, they still would have selected the former Central Florida star. If Lawrence wasn’t there at No. 23, Dallas would have likely taken LB CJ Allen.

On the special, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, The pass rusher can be a difference-maker. That’s my point.” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones weighed in and said they should select Lawrence.

“I really think we ought to pick (Lawrence),” Jones said, I really like him.” When the first round was all said and done, the Cowboys ended up with two players that who will likely make an impact right away.