{"id":41923,"date":"2025-04-18T03:00:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T03:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=41923"},"modified":"2025-04-18T03:00:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T03:00:43","slug":"breaking-cowboys-cryptically-announce-4-word-trade-revelation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=41923","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Cowboys Cryptically Announce 4-Word Trade Revelation.."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"m-detail-header--dek\">A deep dive into Stephen Jones&#8217; cryptic comment, the trade buzz before draft day, and how the Cowboys are quietly playing chess with the NFL&#8217;s comp pick formula.<\/div>\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--flexbox\">\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--meta\">\n<div class=\"m-description--list\">\n<p>If you listened closely to\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0COO Stephen Jones\u2019 comments this week, you caught more than just the usual front-office PR spin.\u00a0Around the 12-minute mark of his 105.3 The Fan interview, Jones dropped a line that should\u2019ve caught every Cowboys fan\u2019s ear\u00a0&#8230; a 4-word revelation, really &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s not over yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No, he wasn\u2019t talking about taking a flier on a developmental project in Round 6. He was talking about adding to the roster before the draft even begins. And if you understand how the Cowboys operate \u2014 methodical, calculated, cap-savvy \u2014 that quote only leads to one conclusion:<\/p>\n<p>A trade is still very much in play. And so are free agents &#8230; after a certain &#8220;deadline.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-item-inline\">\n<figure class=\"m-video mm-video--landscape l-inline\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"QFzaf3ai0rI\" class=\"m-video--frame rh-null\" title=\"Cowboys &quot;not done yet&quot; in free agency | Draft-Day TRADE with the Pittsburgh Steelers\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/QFzaf3ai0rI?enablejsapi=1\" width=\"598\" height=\"336\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-rhp=\"1\" data-original-client-width=\"700\" data-original-client-height=\"392\" data-yt-skip=\"1\" data-rh-vid=\"1\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/QFzaf3ai0rI?enablejsapi=1\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Jones reiterated the importance of \u201cdrafting pure,\u201d which is front office lingo for \u201cwe don\u2019t want to be desperate at any position.\u201d That\u2019s why the Cowboys have been relatively quiet in free agency \u2014 and why they might be gearing up for a draft-related move (like a WR or CB swap) instead.<\/p>\n<p>Why not just sign a free agent?<\/p>\n<p>Two reasons:<\/p>\n<p>1. They\u2019re locked in on the draft board \u2014 deep in their war room flow, with very little appetite for distractions.<\/p>\n<p>2.\u00a0The compensatory pick formula. After May 2, any free agents you sign no longer count against your comp pick equation. And that\u2019s when names like Will Hernandez, Asante Samuel Jr., or other veterans could become viable again.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-item-inline\">\n<figure class=\"m-video mm-video--landscape l-inline\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"9NwnPJGncGE\" class=\"m-video--frame\" title=\"Comp pick implications make Jonathan Allen a LIFELINE for DT-desperate Cow\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/9NwnPJGncGE?enablejsapi=1\" width=\"598\" height=\"336\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-rhp=\"1\" data-original-client-width=\"700\" data-original-client-height=\"392\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But here\u2019s the kicker: the Cowboys are already playing this game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Comp Pick Picture (And Why It Matters)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t speculation \u2014 it\u2019s &#8220;Cowboys order of operations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>They do this every year and this is how the 2025 offseason currently stacks up in that regard:<\/p>\n<p>Qualifying Departures (expected comp picks):<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 DeMarcus Lawrence: 3 years, $32M<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Jourdan Lewis: 3 years, $30M<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Chauncey Golston: 3 years, $18M<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Brandin Cooks: 2 years, $13M<\/p>\n<p>All of these guys are likely comp-pick eligible. That\u2019s four strong candidates for Dallas to be awarded picks in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Offsetting Signings:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Dante Fowler Jr. is expected to offset one of those comp picks.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Robert Jones signed for 1 year, $3.75M \u2014 and here\u2019s where it gets interesting.<\/p>\n<p>\u25e6 Fowler\u2019s departure last year for $3.25M earned Dallas a 6th-rounder.<\/p>\n<p>\u25e6 So with inflation and Jones&#8217; deal being slightly richer, it&#8217;s not unreasonable to assume Jones maybe just maybe falls below the qualifying line this year. (We&#8217;ll see)<\/p>\n<p>Draft picks in, comp pick protection, and cap control.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what it all means in plain English:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 The Cowboys could still trade for a receiver or corner before the draft and not disrupt their compensatory formula.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 After May 2, they\u2019ll likely revisit free agents like Hernandez, Samuel Jr., etc.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 They\u2019re staying patient (frustrating as that can be to Cowboys Nation), precise, and financially chess-savvy \u2014 all while maximizing future assets.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0NFL\u00a0doesn\u2019t make the comp pick formula public, but we\u2019ve got a strong handle on how it works. It\u2019s based on contract size, playing time, and awards \u2014 and the Cowboys have gotten very good at playing that game.<\/p>\n<p>Stephen Jones\u2019 \u201cWe\u2019re not done yet\u201d line isn\u2019t a bluff. It\u2019s a breadcrumb. And when you follow it with context like this?<\/p>\n<p>It makes a whole lot more sense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A deep dive into Stephen Jones&#8217; cryptic comment, the trade buzz before draft day, and how the Cowboys are quietly playing chess with the NFL&#8217;s comp pick&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Cowboys Cryptically Announce 4-Word Trade Revelation.. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=41923\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Cowboys Cryptically Announce 4-Word Trade Revelation.. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A deep dive into Stephen Jones&#8217; 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