Watch Eagles Land Cowboys Trade to Draft Makai Lemon Over Steelers in Behind-the-Scenes Video

There's usually no love lost between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, but the NFC East rivals set aside their disdain for one another to complete a deal during the 2026 NFL draft.

A new behind-the-scenes video was released on Sunday showing how the Eagles landed a trade with the Cowboys to move up to the No. 20 pick ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers and draft USC wide receiver Makai Lemon:

The Cowboys' war room quickly identified the Eagles, who owned the No. 23 pick, as the team that was most likely to trade up to No. 20. Executive vice president Stephen Jones told the room that he wanted Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman to initiate the call so Dallas could be on the favorable side of negotiations.

In the end, the Cowboys secured the deal they were seeking by sending the No. 20 pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for the No. 23 pick and two 2026 fourth-round picks. The completion of the deal created one of the most memorable moments in recent draft history.

Lemon was on the phone with Steelers GM Omar Khan and being told that he was being selected by Pittsburgh with the 21st pick when the Eagles swooped in and selected him at No. 20. B/R's Brent Sobleski graded the selection a B.

During an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Roseman explained that the Eagles were motivated to move up for Lemon, and they knew the Steelers were among the teams that were eyeing him.

"To say that we were willing to sit there and just get ahead of Pittsburgh, it wouldn't be true," Roseman said. "We were trying to get up, we were trying to get the player. It so happened that we got in front of them, certainly, they were one of the teams that we thought would be in the mix, but more importantly for us than who anyone else wants, it's who we want and who we want to go get. And we wanted to get the player."

The Eagles got their guy, and they have the Cowboys to thank for completing the draft-day trade. Still, it's safe to say that the rivalry between Philadelphia and Dallas will continue to rage on.