ESPN behind-scenes look at Cowboys-Eagles trade highlights org pivot
The Cowboys were wheelers and dealers in the early Jerry Jones era, but it took a while for the current regime to find their trade rhythm.
The Dallas Cowboys made a few regime changes early last decade. Team owner Jerry Jones has always functioned as the general manager, but as he approached what most working men consider retirement age (thanks, Social Security laws), he began to cede important levers of control over to his son Stephen. Now 83, the early 2010s saw Stephen Jones evolve into more than just a middle man between owner and head coach; a role Stephen had to play to keep a buffer between Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells during the prior decade .
Following a confusing draft of 2013 that saw them luck into taking center Travis Frederick despite a lopsided trade in the first-round ( the team lost an early fourth rounder worth of value ), the team elevated Will McClay to a role where he was in charge of all player personnel. Together, the younger Jones and McClay have managed the Cowboys draft in tandem for the last 13 years. Several trends emerged during that time, but one in particular has changed it's face.
The Cowboys began this duo's journey refusing to budge from wherever fate landed them in the first-round drafting order. But over the last several years, they've become far more willing to play the telephone game that leads to trades, including the one with the Philadelphia Eagles profiled this past Sunday on ESPN's behind the scenes look at the 2026 draft. The Thursday night draft trade between the Cowboys and Eagles.
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