- Total Trades: 4
- Average Grade: B- (80)
This page lists all the 2025 Trades for the Dallas Cowboys. I’ve listed all of the NFL Free Agent Signing Grades here, which included the trades. Because I’ve begun posting polls for the trades, I thought it would make sense to list just the NFL trades here, so archiving the voting would be easier.
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May 2025 – Trades
Cowboys acquire WR George Pickens from Steelers for 2026 3rd-round pick, swap of 2027 late-round picks
Jerry Jones is a huge fan of wasting fourth-round picks. He used fourth-round selections to acquire Trey Lance and Jonathan Mingo recently. His coaching staff barely used Lance, opting to start Cooper Rush over him in meaningless games. Mingo also provided nothing for Dallas.
Jones, however, must view third-round picks as being much more valuable because he used one to obtain George Pickens. The Cowboys made a huge mistake of neglecting wide receiver during the 2025 NFL Draft, but they’ve made amends for it, acquiring Pickens from the Steelers for a third-round choice and a late-round swap in 2027 that will see their fifth-round pick transformed into a sixth-round selection.
This is an outstanding trade for the Cowboys. Pickens is a dynamic downfield threat, so he’ll be a great complement to CeeDee Lamb. Dallas had nothing at receiver outside of Lamb, so Pickens is a huge upgrade at a very reasonable price. Pickens comes with some character concerns, but his talent makes it worth the risk.
As for the Steelers, this deal is very disappointing. They had to rely on bums like Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin when their quarterback wasn’t targeting Pickens last year. The D.K. Metcalf acquisition appeared to have changed that, giving Pittsburgh a tandem of electric wide receivers, but now the team is stuck with the same situation, except with Metcalf instead of Pickens. Pittsburgh had some long-shot Super Bowl aspirations if Aaron Rodgers signed, but Pickens’ departure makes a playoff run more unlikely.
Grade for Cowboys – A
Grade for Steelers – D
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April 2025 – Trades
Cowboys acquire QB Joe Milton from Patriots for swap of 5th-, 7th-rounders
I thought I was going to grade the Cowboys negatively for this trade when I initially heard about it. Dallas infamously acquired Trey Lance for a fourth-round pick, yet refused to give him playing time down the stretch last year when it was apparent that they wouldn’t be making the playoffs. Giving up another fourth for a similar player would have been foolish.
This trade, however, is much better for Dallas. The Cowboys will be giving up a fifth-round pick instead of a fourth, and they’ll be getting back a seventh from New England. That’s a much better deal for a young quarterback with plenty of potential.
With that in mind, the Cowboys won this trade. I don’t understand why the Patriots would settle for anything less than a fourth-round selection for Milton. The 2024 sixth-round pick has looked terrific in all of his appearances, albeit those made in the preseason and in meaningless late-season games. Milton is raw, but has loads of potential. Giving him up for a late-round pick swap is a very poor move. I just imagine what Howie Roseman would have done instead. He would have waited for a quarterback injury and then dangled Milton to that team for a fourth-round selection, or maybe even a third. The Patriots should aim to be much more cunning with their transactions.
Grade for Cowboys – A-
Grade for Patriots – D
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March 2025 – Trades
Cowboys acquire LB Kenneth Murray from Titans for late-round pick swap
The Cowboys are snatching up all the former first-round busts today. Hours after acquiring Kaiir Elam, Dallas obtained Kenneth Murray for another late-round pick swap.
Elam at least makes some sense because he was drafted recently. Murray was drafted two years prior and has been awful. He’s bad in coverage and even worse in run support. There’s no reason to think things will change at this point. The Titans, meanwhile, did well to get something for a player they were going to cut.
Grade for Cowboys – D
Grade for Titans – B+
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Cowboys acquire CB Kaiir Elam from Bills for late-round pick swap
Kaiir Elam was highly regarded coming out of Florida ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he’s been a colossal bust. He struggled as a rookie and then barely played the past two years. He saw action late in the year due to injury, and he was torched constantly. He was then forced onto the field once Christian Benford got hurt in the AFC Championship, and Patrick Mahomes attacked him successfully.
The Bills did well to trade Elam. He was barely playing for them, and he wasn’t likely to make the final roster this year. The Bills are getting a fifth-round pick in exchange for a sixth. They also picked up a seventh-rounder in 2026, but that’s mostly irrelevant.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, probably should have used their resources elsewhere. They believe they can revive a former first-round pick’s career, and if they do, they’ll hit the jackpot with this trade. That seems unlikely to happen, however.
Grade for Cowboys – C
Grade for Bills – B+
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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