Amid the rumors that the Dallas Cowboys want to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft, it feels pretty unlikely it'll actually happen. Jerry Jones has no reason to get aggressive and trade both of Dallas' first-round picks to move up into the top 10, especially when they can land a quality defender at 12.
Picking at No. 12 and No. 20 due to the Micah Parsons trade, the Cowboys have been the talk of the town throughout the pre-draft process. They clearly covet defensive upgrades, but with how awful the defense was in 2025, the more youth they are able to add to the unit in the draft, the better it is.
For that reason, ESPN's Dan Graziano doesn't see the Cowboys as a team to watch on the trade-up market. The price it would take to move up for someone like Arvell Reese, David Bailey, or even Sonny Styles is a bit rich for a team who doesn't pick until 92nd overall after making their first-round picks.
"What I am told is that the Cowboys do not want to trade both No. 12 and No. 20 to move up for just one player," Graziano wrote. "A small move up from No. 12 that doesn't involve No. 20 seems possible if they feel like one of their preferred targets is within range. But going all the way up into the top five or six picks doesn't sound to me like what they want to do."
Graziano reported that he's heard the Cowboys don't want to deal both picks to move up. He noted that perhaps a deal where they move up a few picks and keep their second first-rounder could be in the cards, but how many teams would really be interested in that? I don't think very many, if any at all.
The Dallas Cowboys are better suited to stay put at 12 compared to trading up
Someone like Bailey or Reese would be a major get for the defense, but trading up into the top 10 of the NFL Draft is incredibly expensive. The last time Dallas traded up in the first round of the draft was back in 2012, when they moved up from 14 to sixth overall to draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.
Graziano also added another interesting nugget to his report. Not only does he not see a trade up from No. 12 all that likely, he sees a trade back from No. 20 to be much more likely to happen. The Cowboys have no second-round pick, so they could look to trade out of Round 1 entirely from here.
"I would actually say it's more likely the Cowboys trade down from No. 20 than up from No. 12. They need a ton of help on defense and would love it if Styles, Downs or LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane fell to them at No. 12; they could get to work addressing the other positional needs at No. 20 and later. Dallas also doesn't have a second-round pick (it belongs to the Jets from the ), which is why I've been told to watch out for the Cowboys to trade down from No. 20 to try to recoup some Day 2 capital."
Their recent history backs this idea up. After striking a trade-up with the Detroit Lions (who drafted Terrion Arnold) in 2024, they also moved down on Day 1 in 2021. And this was the trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that resulted in DeVonta Smith ending up in Philly and Parsons landing in Dallas,
It looks like there's a good shot Mansoor Delane or even Caleb Downs could slip into their grasp with the 12th pick, so just like Graziano's buzz mentioned, drafting one of them and using pick 20 to add more draft capital would be a much better outcome than selling the farm to move up into the top 10.
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