Stephen Jones Reveals If Cowboys Would Consider Trading a 2026 NFL 1st-Round Draft Pick

The Dallas Cowboys are "open-minded" about trading one of their first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft.

Team COO Stephen Jones told reporters Monday the franchise is "always" willing to explore different avenues around the draft:

Dallas will be on the clock at No. 12 and then again at No. 20 thanks to the return it got from the Green Bay Packers in the Micah Parsons trade. In Bleacher Report's newest mock draft, the team wound up with Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles and Texas A&M edge-rusher Cashius Howell.

One rationale for trading a first-rounder is that the Cowboys could recoup what they lost in the Quinnen Williams and George Pickens trades and then some. Williams arrived at the cost of their second-rounder along with a 2027 first-round pick. They don't have a third-rounder this year, either, thanks to acquiring Pickens.

The protracted contract negotiations with Parsons last summer underlined the bind Dallas was in.

The three-time All-Pro is an elite sack artist who can single-handedly disrupt an offensive game plan even when he isn't getting to the quarterback. Paying him what proved to be his market rate ($46.5 million annually), however, would've left less money around to retain other young players headed toward big paydays.

It's probably not a total coincidence that offensive guard Tyler Smith and cornerback DaRon Bland got extensions after Parsons left.

Now, the Cowboys are heading into the offseason with a payroll that's projected to be $25.9 million over the salary cap. This is a time for them to load up on as much cost-controlled talent as they can get.

Keeping both first-round picks ensures Dallas gets the best possible players in the draft. Turning one of those selections into multiple Day 2 or 3 picks might be the better approach to addressing everything that's needed for the roster.