Cowboys' Slick NFL Draft Trade Left Pittsburgh Steelers Embarrassed

The Dallas Cowboys were one of the big winners during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night, pulling off two trades and landing immediate impact players on defense.

With their first move, Dallas moved up one spot to land Ohio State superstar Caleb Downs, a do-it-all safety who was arguably the best all-around player in this year's draft class.

The second trade, however, was what left some with a sour taste in their mouths, especially the host Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh was on the phone with USC star wide receiver Makai Lemon before the Cowboys decided to trade down with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Philly was in desperate need of a wide receiver with AJ Brown expected to be moved after June 1, so the Cowboys were able to leverage the Eagles for two fourth-round picks.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones smiles as he answers questions during a press conference at Ford Center at the Star. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

That forced Pittsburgh to make a last-minute change, which spoiled the Steel City draft party by forcing the team to take Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor instead of a flashy offensive playmaker.

Video of Lemon's phone call with the Steelers being interrupted by the Eagles has gone viral on social media, and it reportedly left Pittsburgh "pissed" and feeling embarrassed in front of their home crowd.

Steelers Aren't Happy With Cowboys' Brilliant Draft Move

The Steelers are not so pleased with the Cowboys for trading back

Check out @NickHarrisFWST with story on House of Haymaker pic.twitter.com/GBnH6nFbur
— Haymaker (@HaymakerNetwork) April 24, 2026

Cowboys insider Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram revealed details of the wild moment during an appearance on House of Haymaker following the opening round of the draft.

"Pittsburgh is pissed about this. They feel like Dallas duped them. They, especially with the draft being in Pittsburgh, they felt embarrassed on a national stage," Harris said.

Could the move from Dallas have been an insider job as a way to get one over on former head coach Mike McCarthy, who is now leading the Steelers?

"Remember, Mike McCarthy is a new head coach there. He hired a lot of, you know, assistant coaches and executives and scouts and, you know, people behind the scenes that were in Dallas just a couple of years ago. So it could have been as simple as someone in the Dallas war room, just shooting a text to somebody in the Pittsburgh war room, be like, 'Hey, who are y'all taking here?' And them thinking, 'Oh, the Cowboys are taking defense,'" he added.

"You know, this is just two guys, you know, two girls talking right here. It's like, Oh, we're taking Makai Lemon, you know, and the Cowboys call Philadelphia. I always call Philadelphia. They're like, 'Hey, the Steelers are going to take Makai Lemon.' We know you want a receiver. Come up here, do this deal with us, and give us two fourth-round picks. "

Jerry Jones on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If it was as simple as Jerry Jones and the Cowboys pulling off a petty move with McCarthy, it adds to the brilliance of the draft lore of the viral moment. But, more importantly, it helps the Cowboys improve on the field.

Not only did Dallas manage to land a stud pass rusher in Malachi Lawrence, but they improved their mid-round draft capital with two fourth-round picks. Now, the Cowboys enter Day 2 of the draft with three fourth-round picks, making a potential move into the second or third round easier if one of the next targets on their board falls.

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