So, NFL cutdown weekend has not disappointed. Between trading for Broderick Jones and waiving Jaydon Blue, the Dallas Cowboys have delivered multiple surprises leading up to Sunday's all-important deadline.
You can add another to the tally, as Ian Rapoport reported that the Cowboys have traded offensive tackle Nate Thomas to the Houston Texans. No, your eyes are not deceiving you.
The Cowboys will get a 2027 seventh-round pick in return for Thomas, per Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.
Given Dallas' reluctance to part with rookie draft picks, Thomas was the obvious odd man out following the Broderick Jones trade. He was likely going to get cut. To get any draft compensation for him is a win, and it certainly makes the compensation for Jones much more palatable.
The Cowboys somehow convinced the Texans to trade for OT Nate Thomas
Here’s a snapshot of what the Cowboys have acquired and lost in the Broderick Jones and Nate Thomas trades.
Gained:
- Broderick Jones
- 2027 fourth-round pick
- 2027 seventh-round pick
Lost:
- 2027 third-round pick
- 2027 sixth-round pick
- Nate Thomas
Seventh-round picks are essentially scratch-off tickets. Hitting on them was already a long shot, but the NIL era has made Day 3 even more unpredictable, with more fringe prospects opting to stay in college rather than enter the draft.
But again, getting anything in return for Thomas is great business for Dallas. He entered training camp competing behind Tyler Guyton for the starting left tackle job. That competition lasted less than a week after the team arrived in Oxnard.
Nate Thomas has plenty of opportunities to carve out a career in Dallas
Before the preseason started, Brian Schottenheimer cited a need for Thomas to be more consistent to earn reps with the first team. He ultimately swapped sides with Drew Shelton and moved to right tackle. While he fared better there, that's only because the bar was as low as it could get.
Thomas only gave up two pressures on 45 pass-blocking snaps in the preseason, per PFF, but the stats don't begin to paint an accurate picture of his play. Drew Shelton's nightmarish August really overshadowed the former seventh-round pick's struggles.
The Cowboys gave him two full offseasons -- and several cameos last season -- to win the swing tackle job. He played 342 snaps over nine appearances in 2025 and allowed 23 pressures, four quarterback hits, and three sacks.
It’s a miracle he was handed another shot at the swing tackle role. The team remained bullish on his upside after a knee injury wiped out his entire rookie season, but occasional flashes of talent can only buy so much patience.
Shelton should make the 53-man roster now, but don't expect him to play at all during the regular season. All of Dallas' OT chips behind Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele are in the Broderick Jones basket.
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