Considering how many times we've urged the Dallas Cowboys to trade for or sign a veteran offensive tackle over the past month, they would've made us look pretty bad by rolling with Nate Thomas and Drew Shelton.
The Cowboys must have heard us (they didn't) circle former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Broderick Jones as a potential target, because that's exactly what they've done. The 2023 first-round pick is headed to Dallas, as reported by Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Media.
The Cowboys are sending third- and sixth-round picks in 2027 to Pittsburgh, and they are getting a 2027 fourth-round pick in return, per ESPN's Todd Archer.
The Dallas Cowboys have traded for Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones
Cowboys are giving up third- and sixth-round picks in 2027 for Broderick Jones and a 2027 fourth rounder from the Steelers.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 29, 2026
That's undoubtedly a steeper price than we expected, but nobody loves a first-round reclamation project more than Jerry and Stephen Jones.
The tackle situation behind Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele, who aren't elite to begin with, was precarious enough that Dallas may have felt compelled to overpay.
Rookie fourth-round pick Drew Shelton actually had a clean showing against the Saints on Friday, but he's been an abject disaster otherwise. He allowed seven pressures, three quarterback hits, and a sack across three preseason games, adding up to 25.0 pass-blocking grade from PFF.
The Cowboys hoped Nate Thomas would take a step in Year 3, but he's regressed. He's put out better film than Shelton, but that's not saying much. He's been plagued by pre-snap penalties and just not enough consistency in both the run and passing games.
Suffice it to say that Dallas had to make a move.
The Cowboys definitely overpaid for Broderick Jones
Jones has not lived up to his first-round billing, but he's an upgrade over Shelton and Thomas, and he'll provide competition behind Terence Steele, which hasn't existed to this point.
Both Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams have called for more consistency from Steele. He's generally played better in the regular season than in training camp, but his uneven play this summer has been hard to ignore.
Jones has been cleared to play after undergoing spinal fusion surgery for a neck injury sustained during the 2025 season. He played deep into all three of the Steelers' preseason games (140 snaps in all), so the writing was on the wall regarding his future.
The Georgia product had already fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh, getting passed on the depth chart by Troy Fautanu at left tackle and Dylan Cook at right tackle.
The Cowboys definitely overpaid, but they badly needed improved insurance behind Guyton and Steele. Getting a fourth-round pick back helps rewrite the narrative a bit. Giving up a third for a backup OT was indefensible, but the return makes it palatable.
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