Cowboys Making Trade Calls on NFL Draft, Says Jerry Jones

There is no reason for Dallas to be any more specific than this, but the short answer is "yes.'' The Cowboys are making trade calls.

FRISCO - How much of it is "chum'' and how much of it is sincere only the Dallas Cowboys know - and on the eve of this year's NFL Draft, owner Jerry Jones and company using the art of deception is part of the point.

“We always chum,” Jones said during Tuesday's pre-draft press conference here inside The Star when asked specifically about Dallas being on the phone with other teams. “You do that. ... You are always talking about possibilities or things.''

There is no reason for Dallas to be any more specific than this, but the short answer is "yes.'' The Cowboys are making trade calls.

That doesn't mean there is a commitment to moving up from No. 24 in the first round of the draft, although it is instructive to know that the Cowboys believe there are only 14 or so first-round-graded players in this class, meaning to truly acquire a blue-chip guy, a move up might be needed.

Said COO Stephen Jones: “(In the) first and second (rounds), it’s a little more thin than we’re used to. But I still think we’re going to have a great opportunity to really improve our football team, whether it’s at the 24th pick or if we decide to make a move to go up. There’s some players that would fit that category that you might be intrigued by.''

The "thinness'' of premium prospects could, of course, also lead Dallas to sit at 24 and, if there is a tier of players there ... "There’s always the option if you have four or five guys sitting there that you think a lot of, then it’s not impossible we might move down a little bit,'' Stephen added.

Early in the Jones regime, the Cowboys gained a reputation for trading wildly, boldly, and frequently. In total, the Cowboys have made 71 draft-time trades since Jerry bought the franchise in 1989. 

They have made four first-round trades since 2010, with mixed results. They moved up three spots from 27 to get Dez Bryant in 2010, moved from 14 to 6 in 2012 to take Mo Claiborne, moved back from 18 to 31 to take Travis Frederick in 2013 and last year traded back two spots to select Micah Parsons 12th overall.

Those deals happened as a result of the Cowboys both "throwing chum'' (like the bloody fish parts in "Jaws'' designed to get the attention of the shark) and talking seriously with other teams about scenarios.

"There is nothing dangerous about thinking crazy things,'' Jerry said. "We should think out of the box. We should be contrarians. That doesn’t mean that has to be that on that particular decision. But it is a part of thinking unconventionally.”

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