Dallas Cowboys Responsible for One of Best Moves of NFL Offseason

The Dallas Cowboys made one of the best offseason moves in the entire league when they pulled off one of their multiple trades.

Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

An analyst believes one of the Dallas Cowboys' trades was one of the best moves of the entire NFL offseason and we couldn't agree more.

That analyst is USA TODAY's Jacob Camenker, who labeled the trade up for safety Caleb Downs in the 2026 NFL Draft as one of the best moves any team has made this entire offseason, ranking it at No. 9.

"Trading up for Downs is part of a larger philosophy that the Cowboys have used in the post-Micah Parsons era — fix the defense without breaking the bank," Camenker wrote.

"Downs didn't check off the positional value box early in the first round, but he should be the next star to emerge in Dallas," he added.

Cowboys trade up for Downs was a home run

Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The trade up for Downs was a home run for several reasons.

For starters, Downs was widely viewed as one of the best players in the 2026 NFL Draft, regardless of position. Getting a player of that caliber with the No. 11 pick and only giving up two fifth-rounders to get it done was a massive win.

The trade looks even better when you consider the Cowboys actually ended up recooping those picks and then some after acquiring two fourth-rounders in the trade back for Malachi Lawrence later in the round.

Putting the value of the Downs pick aside for now, we also have to point out how improving the defense was the point of emphasis for Dallas entering the offseason.

No defense in the NFL gave up more points per game than Dallas' in 2025. The Cowboys also ranked dead last against the pass and 23rd against the run.

Downs showed in college he can make a major impact both as a run defender and in coverage, as evidenced by his Pro Football Focus grades of 82.6 and 87.0, respectively, in those areas.

Dallas also had a gaping hole at slot cornerback after failing to adequately replace Jourdan Lewis last year, and safety was another position of need.

Downs is obviously capable of playing safety in Dallas' base defense, but the Cowboys have confirmed he will take on slot duties, too, so those are two more boxes Downs checks.

There is so much to love about the Cowboys' acquisition of Downs and it's not hard to see why it has the potential to be the very best offseason move in the entire league. For now, we'll settle with it being one of the best.