Best and Worst Trades in Cowboys History

Hagman

Put Niland and Green in the ROH
Messages
3,322
Reaction score
7,765
The mess with Ralph Neely in the 1960s. First we trade a 4th round pick and a player for his contract to the Colts. But, in the meantime he signed with the Oilers in the AFL without telling anyone so that he could play in the Gator Bowl THEN decides that he wants to play with Dallas and tries to return the Oilers money. In the resulting law suit settlement we send the Oilers a first, second and two fifths (Not the whiskey kind).

I don't know if this is a good trade or a bad one. We get a darn fine lineman, but give up a ton of picks for him during an era when the organization regularly drafted good players. Plus we started that stupid, nobodycares Governor's Cup game.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive......
 

Aerolithe_Lion

Well-Known Member
Messages
10,785
Reaction score
11,694
Galloway is difficult to judge, because it seemed like it was more Dallas than Joey that failed there. Once he was traded to Tampa Bay, he had 3 straight 1000 yard seasons (at age 34, 35, 36!). So it turned out awful for Dallas, but you weren’t necessarily trading for a bad player like the Roy Williams one… just a bad situation all around.

How about Drew Henson? At least you got SOMETHING out of trading a 1st for Roy Williams, he had 12 TDs as a Cowboy. With Drew Henson it was throwing away a 3rd round pick.
 

Hagman

Put Niland and Green in the ROH
Messages
3,322
Reaction score
7,765
As an expansion team in 1960 with no draft picks going into the year, we needed bodies.
We traded a 1st and a 6th to the Commanders for Eddie LaBaron . OK, we had to have a QB, but we WAY overpaid for a guy like LaBaron.

But then, we trade our 1st in 1962 and a tackle to Cleveland for their 1st in 1961, which we use to select Bob Lilly. WINNING! in retrospect maybe the best trade in Dallas history......

Mix it all together and we get what will amount to a place holder for Don Meredith and one of the all time greats.
 

cowboyec

Well-Known Member
Messages
33,579
Reaction score
40,418
As an expansion team in 1960 with no draft picks going into the year, we needed bodies.
We traded a 1st and a 6th to the Commanders for Eddie LaBaron . OK, we had to have a QB, but we WAY overpaid for a guy like LaBaron.

But then, we trade our 1st in 1962 and a tackle to Cleveland for their 1st in 1961, which we use to select Bob Lilly. WINNING! in retrospect maybe the best trade in Dallas history......

Mix it all together and we get what will amount to a place holder for Don Meredith and one of the all time greats.
didnt see this when i posted mine.
great minds think alike.
bet your an Elvis fan too.
 

cowboyec

Well-Known Member
Messages
33,579
Reaction score
40,418
we traded away from the chance to draft rb steven jackson.
we ended up taking julius jones.
now...i liked julius jones.
but i'd rather have had steven jackson.
put this in the what might've been column.
 

Hagman

Put Niland and Green in the ROH
Messages
3,322
Reaction score
7,765
didnt see this when i posted mine.
great minds think alike.
bet your an Elvis fan too.
Yes, they do. I'll nominate this for the greatest trade in Cowboys' history....OK, the Herschel Walker trade was the best ever, but this deserves being ranked up there.

I'm more of a Beatles guy, but early Elvis was amazing.
 

cowboyec

Well-Known Member
Messages
33,579
Reaction score
40,418
Yes, they do. I'll nominate this for the greatest trade in Cowboys' history....OK, the Herschel Walker trade was the best ever, but this deserves being ranked up there.

I'm more of a Beatles guy, but early Elvis was amazing.
what Tex and Tom and Gil did was truly incredible.

(i'll forgive the beatles part...Elvis Rocks.)
 

cowboyec

Well-Known Member
Messages
33,579
Reaction score
40,418
Slightly before my time, but without looking it up, I believe we traded Craig Morton to NYG for a pick that became Randy White.
that was a good one also.
i read that walter payton was also in contention to be the pick...but we settled on THE MANSTER.
worked out well.
 

McKDaddy

Well-Known Member
Messages
8,220
Reaction score
8,421
2000- The Joey Galloway Trade

They overpaid but I don't view the trade itself as badly as most. It just didn't work out. If I remember correctly, he was hurt while blocking. I can't get too down on him when he was out there doing his job. I can't blame a team for taking a shot to win while the proverbial "window" is open.
 

Carson

Well-Known Member
Messages
36,216
Reaction score
64,041
Mannnn I remember damn near doing cartwheels when we traded for Roy Williams. I thought we would be unstoppable and at least get 2 Super Bowls out of it
 

Big_D

Well-Known Member
Messages
10,767
Reaction score
14,718
As bad as the Galloway trade was on its face, I can give JJ a slight pass on it because many thought it was a way to give Aikman another weapon, thinking Troy had 3-4 more years left. The Williams trade is complete moronic stupidity. They did little homework on Williams who was a great athlete and a stud in college at UT. But he was lazy and had very little drive to improve himself as a pro. Bad, bad trade.

2 first rounders for a 29 year old?? There’s nothing good about it when you could’ve found a receiver or even 2 receivers in the draft if he wasn’t a complete dunce in the war room. His drafts were so horrendous, he had to make ridiculous moves like this. But this one was pathetic considering age and what he gave up. Same goes for Williams who was 27.
 

Big_D

Well-Known Member
Messages
10,767
Reaction score
14,718
How does anyone feel about the trade for Amari Cooper? I think it saved Dak's career.

a desperation move because the WR position was in shambles due to poor management. Raiders saw Jerry ripe for the picking! Definitely a better move than Galloway or Williams, but I’m not gushing over it. 100 mil after a year and a half they got to start winning something!
 

Jake

Beyond tired of Jerry
Messages
36,067
Reaction score
84,350
we traded away from the chance to draft rb steven jackson.
we ended up taking julius jones.
now...i liked julius jones.
but i'd rather have had steven jackson.
put this in the what might've been column.

That's not looking at the entire trade, though. Instead of Jackson the Cowboys got Julius Jones, Marcus Spears, and Sean Ryan.

If they don't have that second first-round pick in 2005 they could've taken Spears instead of Ware - we'll never know. As it was they had 2 picks and got both.

Sean Ryan was a wasted pick, unfortunately. Two-time Pro Bowl RB Michael Turner was selected 10 picks after Ryan.
 

fairviewfarmer

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,920
Reaction score
1,577
On a much smaller scale here, but the trade of WR Butch Johnson to the Oilers before the 1984 season was a bad move. Jmo.
 
Top