Cowboys trade – Misryoum reports how the Cowboys’ push up the board for Caleb Downs fell short before landing him via a later trade.
A late first-round shuffle nearly sent the Cowboys even higher, but Misryoum reports their push to move up for safety Caleb Downs was rebuffed before they ultimately got their man.
Dallas traded up one spot before selecting Downs, yet the deal came after an earlier attempt to jump to No.. 9 did not go through.. A clip highlighted by Misryoum shows Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaking with Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones while Cleveland was on the clock.. Berry declined Dallas’s offer built around swapping picks that would have moved the Cowboys from No.. 12 to No.. 9, and that refusal held even after Jones added a fifth-round selection to the package.
Insight: In the draft, one refusal can reshape the entire board, forcing teams to rework their strategy and sometimes accept a different path to the same target.
The Cowboys’ approach also suggests they expected Downs to be in play immediately ahead of them.. The plan carried an assumption that the Giants might take Downs at No.. 10, a scenario that appears connected to how talks unfolded.. That is exactly what happened in a different way: New York instead selected tackle Francis Mauigoa at No.. 10, changing the immediate landscape for Dallas.
With the original acceleration not working, Dallas turned to a new move, trading up to No.. 11 to secure Downs.. Misryoum notes the Cowboys sent two fifth-round picks to the Dolphins as part of that leap.. Afterward, they were active again, moving down three spots from No.. 20 while collecting two additional fourth-round picks.
Insight: When a trade fails, teams that can pivot quickly often protect their overall draft value by keeping flexibility across multiple rounds.
On the Browns side, Cleveland still landed a player they had targeted with their No.. 9 selection, taking tackle Spencer Fano.. Misryoum also reports that Berry later addressed the draft room following a different move. describing the options Cleveland was considering at the same spot before ending up with Fano.. In that sequence. other names under consideration included Mauigoa and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. with Tyson going to New Orleans at No.. 8.
Insight (final): What Misryoum highlights in these exchanges is the thin margin between getting a top priority and losing it by one pick, a reality that often defines how teams judge the board in real time.