Why don’t the Dallas Cowboys make more trades?

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 19: Marcus Peters
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 19: Marcus Peters /
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After the recent trade by the Rams to acquire Marcus Peters, some may wonder why the Dallas Cowboys don’t trade more. It’s because they’re not very good at it.

Following the blockbuster trade where the Kansas City Chiefs shipped two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters and a 2018 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2018 fourth-round selection and a 2019 second-round pick, many Dallas Cowboys fans are left asking: Why not us?

Well, it isn’t like the Cowboys don’t like to trade. In fact, Dallas has made 11 total trades in the past six years. Unfortunately, I’d argue that none of them have really worked out. Let’s take a look back at the Cowboys history of recent trades starting with the official hiring of Jason Garrett as head coach back in 2011.

Below is a list of all the players the Cowboys have traded for in the past seven years.

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2011
None

2012
Ryan Cook, C

2013
Caesar Rayford, DE
Edgar Jones, DE

2014
Lavar Edwards, DE
Justin Green, CB
Rolando McClain, LB

2015
Matt Cassel, QB
Brice Butler, WR
Christine Michael, RB

2016
None

2017
Jayrone Elliott, LB
Bene Benwikere, CB

Since the infamous trade for Detroit Lions’ wide receiver Roy Williams back in 2008, the Cowboys have been very leery about making such moves for big name players. Do you blame them? And according to their track record listed above, Dallas simply isn’t very good when it comes to making trades. That’s likely why they tend to avoid them.

Of the players listed above, the most successful trade in the past seven years is undoubtedly the one for Rolando McClain. Which is a bit sad. McClain started at middle linebacker for the Cowboys in 2014 after Sean Lee suffered a season-ending ACL injury during OTA’s. The following two years were plagued with drug suspensions.

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Personally, I’d love for the Dallas Cowboys to take more risks and trade for more big name players. Every time another team pulls off what appears to be a one-sided trade, I always ask myself: Did the Cowboys even consider making that move? But at the end of the day, Dallas just isn’t that interested in making those kinds of blockbuster trades anymore unless they are gift-wrapped and left at their door step. And based on their track record, It’s hard to blame them.