Dallas Cowboys Trade With Chiefs Was In Place Before It Fell Apart During Draft

The Dallas Cowboys put together an impressive start to the offseason through free agency and with a highly-touted 2026 NFL Draft class.

Dallas' rookie class is headlined by Ohio State All-American safety Caleb Downs, who the team traded up one pick to land at No. 11 overall. Downs was regarded by many as the most complete draft prospect in this year's class, and one of the favorites to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Cowboys believe Downs can be a cornerstone for the revamped defense under first-time coordinator Christian Parker, who has a history of developing elite talent in the secondary, which is why they traded up with the Miami Dolphins.

In fact, the Cowboys had Downs directly in their sights and enough interest that they entered the draft with a deal in place with the Kansas City Chiefs, which head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed during an appearance on The Twins Take Podcast.

The Trade That Never Went Down

#Cowboys Brian Schottenheimer said Dallas had a deal in place with the Kansas City Chiefs to trade up and get Caleb Downs.

Of course that all changed when the Chiefs moved up to get Mansoor Delane.

“…we had four guys targeted that we really felt strongly about that would fit… pic.twitter.com/uu3qjtBUX9
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) July 5, 2026

While the Cowboys ultimately traded up to land Downs at No. 11 overall, they were ready to pull the trigger on a deal earlier than anticipated. Schottenheimer admitted that the team had a deal in place with the Kansas City Chiefs for No. 9 overall, but that all fell apart when the Chiefs' top target began to became available.

"We were nervous," Schottenheimer admitted. "We had four guys targeted that we really felt really strongly about that would fit great in our culture, and our football team, and Caleb was at the top of that list. We actually had a deal in place. We had a trade in place with Kansas City that we were hoping to be able to make a move for. Well, they moved up early in the draft to the top four or five for Mansoor Delane, so we were kind of like, okay, we've lost that opportunity. But the draft is very... You know, it's the unknown, and so as Caleb started to fall, he was hitting their 9, 10.

"The Giants were on the clock at 10.We thought they would take him because we knew Coach Harbaugh had talked about how much he saw him as a generational safety. And when they didn't take him, he fell to 11. The phone rang. We were talking back and forth with Miami. We could have sat and waited, but we were concerned someone might move up ahead of us at 12. Everyone knew that we were interested in Caleb, and so when Jerry and Stephen acted quickly, along with Will McClay, and made the move, we were stoked. It was great."

In the end, Dallas got their guy, and everyone came away from the first-round of the draft with the player they had at the top of their draft board.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Caleb Downs is coached through a drill with defensive coordinator Christian Parker | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, let's just hope that Downs can develop into the player that everyone expects him to be.

During his final year at Ohio State, Downs recorded 68 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, one sack, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. If he lives up to his potential under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Christian Parker, Downs will become a cornerstone of the Cowboys' defense.

— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

Add us as a preferred source on Google