Cowboys News: Mike McCarthy confirms surprise position change, Jerry Jones postures, Aaron Rodgers

The 2023 NFL Draft has nearly arrived and anticipation is building in terms of what the Dallas Cowboys do with the No. 26 overall pick. Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Mike McCarthy met with the media Monday in preparation for the event and the trio touched on a number of topics.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was McCarthy revealing a shake-up to the offensive line, as Josh Ball will move inside after starting his career at tackle.

A fourth round pick in the 2021 draft, Ball missed his entire rookie season with an ankle injury and entered his second year as the team's swing tackle. That didn't go according to plan, however, as Dallas quickly pivoted to 40-year-old Jason Peters for that role before turning to Tyler Smith once Peters got hurt.

Entering a make-or-break season, the Cowboys are moving Ball inside with the hope that he can provide depth along the interior. There's a vacancy at left guard after Connor McGovern's departure. Jerry Jones hinted at moving Terence Steele from right tackle to guard, but fans aren't buying it.

Might Ball be in the mix for that role?

Cowboys News: Josh Ball moving to guard, Jerry Jones talks NFL Draft

It's never a great sign when a player changes positions, but there are several success stories of players who were drafted as tackles panning out as guards. It's worth pondering if guard suits Ball's skillset. Maybe the coaching staff doesn't know what to do with him, but 2022 proved it wasn't going to work out at tackle.

In addition to the Ball news, Jones was asked whether the Cowboys would consider making a trade during the draft. The owner partook in his typical pre-draft posturing, saying Dallas could trade up, stand pat, or trade down.

Jones did imply, however, that he would entertain trading up since the Cowboys have one of the final picks of the first round. Suffice it to say fans would be up in arms if Dallas traded up, especially for a certain running back from Texas.

The Cowboys are in a prime position to trade down in the draft. They'll have their pick of several prospects on their big board. If they move down a handful of spots and net an additional second- or third-round pick, that's probably the best-case scenario given they lost two picks in trading for Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks.

Hopefully Jones was putting up a smokescreen of sorts.

Finally, it's official that the Cowboys will host Aaron Rodgers in 2023, as the Jets and Packers (finally) completed a trade after months of negotiating. This news means Dak Prescott is longest-tenured starting QB in the NFL.

You have to think the NFL will be all over making this a primetime matchup. We'd keep an eye on Dallas welcoming Rodgers and the Jets to AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving.