The Dallas Cowboys didn't make a single move before Tuesday's trade deadline. To add insult to injury, every team the Cowboys are competing with in the NFC -- the Eagles, 49ers, Lions and Seahawks -- all kept their foot on the gas by making win-now moves.
This year's deadline wasn't all that crazy, but it saw plenty of teams overpay to address points of weakness. This is the polar opposite of what the Cowboys did when they traded Amari Cooper to the Browns in the 2022 offseason.
Trading Cooper never made sense, but it would have been palatable had Dallas got a haul of picks reflective of Cooper's talent and production. In the end, though, the Cowboys got two fifth-round picks and a sixth-round pick swap for their former leading receiver.
The trade has aged like a week-old gallon of milk. Cooper has suffered from suspect quarterback play in Cleveland, but he's still producing at a high level. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are getting minimal production from Michael Gallup, whom they gave a five-year, $57.5 million extension coming off a torn ACL.
With the Cowboys being eviscerated for their dormant deadline, let's look at some deals that cost more than what they got for Cooper.
4. CB Rasul Douglas: Third-round pick (2024)
Packers players and fans were not happy that Douglas got traded. A big personality who leads by example, Douglas has a 79.6 coverage grade this year and has averaged an impressive 75.3 coverage grade over the last three seasons, per PFF.
Douglas lands in an excellent spot in Buffalo, which lost No. 1 cornerback Tre'Davious White to a torn Achilles. Additionally, 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam has been a healthy scratch for all but three games this season.
A third-round pick is a reasonable price to pay for Douglas. He's not a CB1, but he's a high-end starter who's under contract through 2024. If only the Cowboys got a similar haul for a four-time Pro Bowler and six-time1,000-yard receiver.
3. DL Leonard Williams: Second-round pick (2024), fifth-round pick (2025)
The Seahawks overpaid for a declining player in Williams, but it stands to reason the veteran defensive lineman will find a spark on an improved Seattle defense. The value of interior DL who can rush the passer can't be understated, but Williams has mustered 10.5 sacks in 37 games since inking a big-money deal in 2021.
This year, the former Giant boasts a 67.2 player grade, via Pro Football Focus. He's managed 22 pressures, 16 hurries and 13 defensive stops. It's no doubt solid production, but nobody would argue that Williams is worth more than Cooper.
2. Chase Young: Third-round compensatory pick (2024)
This was perhaps the most shocking move of the deadline. The rebuilding Commanders shipped Young to the 49ers (thanks for nothing, Washington!) for a third-round pick in 2024 and it was eventually reported it was a comp pick.
If Young, a pending free agent, walks after this season, he'll (likely) net the 49ers a 2025 third-round comp pick. In other words, San Francisco moved a comp pick back a year for a half-season of Young, assuming he isn't re-signed.
That's how it's done. The Cowboys could learn a thing or two from the Niners.
1. DE Montez Sweat: Second-round pick (2024)
The fact Sweat went for a second-round pick and Cooper couldn't net so much as a fourth-rounder is criminal.
It stands to reason that Chicago will extend Sweat, who, like Chase Young, will hit unrestricted free agency after the season, but this is the type of move you'd expect from a contender; not a team that could wind up with the No. 1 overall pick.
While Sweat is an excellent player, trading what will become a high-second round for him is absolute insanity, especially given Young went for a third-round comp pick.
This begs the question of if the Cowboys made the proper number of calls when they shopped Cooper or if they were so desperate to offload his contract that they took the first offer. Maybe Cleveland's offer was the best offer. Either way, the 2023 trade deadline was further confirmation that Dallas fleeced themselves.