Broderick Jones Trade: What Cowboys Gave Steelers and Why
- Football Nation
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Dallas Cowboys agreed to acquire offensive tackle Broderick Jones from the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending 2027 third- and sixth-round picks to Pittsburgh while receiving Jones and a 2027 fourth-rounder. The agreement is pending a physical, an important condition because Jones underwent spinal fusion surgery after a neck injury ended his 2025 season.
This is not a routine cutdown-day depth move. Dallas paid meaningful draft capital for a 25-year-old former No. 14 overall pick with 38 career starts, betting that his athletic ceiling and experience at both tackle spots can outweigh recent pass-protection problems, medical uncertainty and an expiring rookie contract.
What the Broderick Jones trade includes
NFL.com reported the same core compensation: Dallas gets Jones plus Pittsburgh’s fourth-round selection in 2027; Pittsburgh gets Dallas’ third- and sixth-round choices that year. The swap upgrades the Steelers’ draft position while giving the Cowboys an immediate veteran option before final roster cuts.
Jones played 45 games and started 38 during three seasons in Pittsburgh. Dallas’ official account says he took all 603 of his 2025 snaps at left tackle, after working mostly on the right side during his first two seasons. He returned from surgery in time to play 142 snaps across Pittsburgh’s three 2026 preseason games.
Why Dallas made the deal
Dallas entered the weekend with Tyler Guyton at left tackle and Terence Steele at right tackle, but the swing-tackle job was unsettled. Jones gives the Cowboys a player who has started on both sides and can compete immediately. That matters for a team also making decisions around the Joe Milton–Sam Howell backup-quarterback battle and absorbing the short-term roster effects of Marist Liufau’s fractured forearm.
The upside case starts with traits. Jones entered the league as a rare mover for his size, and the Cowboys are buying a chance to rebuild his technique in a new system. The official NFL combine clip below shows the movement profile that made him a first-round prospect. It does not prove he will become a dependable Dallas starter, but it explains why teams remain interested despite uneven tape.
What Dallas is betting on
The wager is that Jones can become more than expensive insurance. If he takes the right-tackle job, Dallas could move on from Steele later and field four former first-round picks around center Cooper Beebe. If Jones remains a swing tackle, the Cowboys still gain experienced protection behind Guyton and Steele—but the price becomes harder to justify.
Measure | Verified value |
|---|---|
Trade to Dallas | Broderick Jones + 2027 fourth-round pick |
Trade to Pittsburgh | 2027 third- and sixth-round picks |
NFL career | 45 games, 38 starts |
2025 role | 603 snaps, all at left tackle |
2026 preseason | 142 snaps across three games |
Contract status | Final rookie-contract year; 2027 UFA if not extended |
Sources: Dallas Cowboys official trade report and ESPN’s compensation and contract context. Games and starts are regular-season totals; snap counts are the Cowboys’ reported figures.
How Jones fits the Cowboys offensive line
The cleanest first assignment is swing tackle while Dallas evaluates his conditioning and comfort on each side. Guyton has earned positive preseason reviews at left tackle, and Steele remains the incumbent on the right. Jones should not be handed a starting job because of his draft pedigree. He should force the decision through practice reps, medical stability and cleaner pass sets.
That approach matches the broader roster. Dallas has already added veteran impact with Von Miller on the edge and committed major money to Quinnen Williams. Jones is a different kind of bet: younger, less proven and potentially more valuable if the coaching staff can turn a reclamation project into a starter.
The strongest counterpoint: Pittsburgh may have sold at the right time
Pittsburgh’s side is easy to understand. The Steelers declined Jones’ fifth-year option, drafted Max Iheanachor 21st overall and watched Jones work deep into preseason games with the reserves. Football Nation’s earlier look at Iheanachor’s return to the tackle competition showed why the room was moving toward a younger alignment. Turning a player outside the starting plan into a third-rounder and a sixth-rounder, while surrendering a fourth, is defensible asset management.
The recent Bills–Steelers preseason finale also reinforced that Pittsburgh was testing the bottom of its depth chart, while separate Joey Porter Jr. contract uncertainty makes future draft flexibility useful. Dallas is betting on a player Pittsburgh no longer needed to bet on.
What happens next
The first checkpoint is Jones’ physical and the formal completion of the trade. The next is Dallas’ initial 53-man roster, which will show how many tackles the club keeps and whether another veteran becomes expendable. After that, practice deployment matters more than the acquisition headline: left side, right side, first team or swing role.
Contract decisions follow performance. Because Pittsburgh declined the fifth-year option, Jones is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the 2026 season unless Dallas extends him. The Cowboys therefore have one season to learn whether this is a short-term depth purchase or the beginning of a longer answer at tackle.
Football Nation verdict
Dallas made a bold, rational gamble—not a clear bargain. The Cowboys needed legitimate tackle insurance and acquired a young player with starter experience and first-round movement traits. But the cost demands more than emergency depth, and the neck history plus recent protection issues are real.
The trade becomes a win if Jones is healthy, pushes Steele or Guyton and earns a starting-caliber role. If he remains the third tackle for one season and leaves in free agency, Pittsburgh will have extracted the better value. Until the physical and early practices clarify his role, the fairest grade is incomplete with meaningful upside for Dallas and a safer asset win for Pittsburgh.
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