Since the start of the season, we've been following the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, and Pittsburgh Steelers as our Cowboys have a vested interest in their eventual records. Dallas owns 2027 draft picks from all three, and this week presents an opportunity for the Cowboys to directly improve a pick's value with a head-to-head matchup in Houston
Neither Texas team has started 2026 on the right foot. Dallas is 1-2 and coming of an all-time collapse against the Ravens. They blew a game-winning opportunity, then couldn't preserve an assumed overtime, thanks to late-game blunders.
But at least we're not 0-3 like the Texans. A projected AFC contender before Week 1, Houston keeps coming up short. They kept it close against Buffao and Indianapolis, but were totally outclassed by the Bengals in a home game.
Assuming Dallas doesn't involve it in another deal sometime soon, Houston's 2027 seventh-round pick goes to the Cowboys from the Nate Thomas trade a month ago. It's small potatoes compared to the stakes with the Packers and Steelers' picks, but Dallas isn't exactly flush with draft capital anymore.
They're down to just four picks after the Joey Porter Jr. trade, making the Texans' pick far more valuable than the typical late-rounder.
Packers look to correct course against winless Bucs
With the rights to Green Bay's first-round pick, we're always interested in what's going on with them. Of course, the better of their or Dallas' pick is going to the Jets from the Quinnen Williams trade. But if the Cowboys' season doesn't go the way we hope, we'd love for the Packers to up in the draft order right along with us.
Unfortunately, Tampa Bay may not pose much of a challenge for them. QB Baker Mayfield is out, severely limiting the Bucs' chances. Bears QB Case Keenum's performance last week against the Eagles offers hope for all backup QBs, but undrafted Jalon Daniels would be defying every odd imaginable if he can pull this off in Tampa.
A Bucs upset would not only hurt the Packers' record, but it would put them into even greater distress than they're already feeling. Green Bay and Dallas are set to hook up in Week 6, and both on the fence right now for continued NFC contention. If the Packers drop this one, who knows what state they'll be in by the time the Cowboys come to town?
Steelers trying to preserve momentum tonight in Cleveland
Rooting against Pittsburgh is easy for Cowboys fans for plenty of reasons, both historic and present. But beyond the 1970s, Mike McCarthy, or Aaron Rodgers, Dallas' ownership of the Steelers' 2027 fourth-round pick presents the most practical reason of all.
After some rough opening games, Pittsburgh got a big division win last week over the Bengals. They now look to keep momentum in an AFC North where every team is 2-1, even the Browns. Cleveland's won two straight and Deshaun Watson's finally making headlines again in good ways.
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