Cowboys Tease Splash Move in 2026 Draft During Owners Meetings

The Dallas Cowboys are in a position to steal the show during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, with two picks on Day One. Dallas currently holds the No. 12 and No. 20 overall picks in a deep defensive draft, with several standout prospects at major areas of need.

On Monday morning, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke to the media at the annual league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, when he was asked about how the team could approach this year's draft.

While everything appears to be on the table, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram asked whether the team could consider making a trade up with the arsenal of draft picks the organization has.

If Coach Schotty is to be believed, it could be an exciting start to the draft for the Cowboys faithful.

Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer on how he feels they’re positioned at No. 12 and No. 20 in the first round.

He not only mentioned the possibility of trading back, but also trading up.

“Jerry is never afraid of making deals.” pic.twitter.com/n30SCzKCvi
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) March 30, 2026

"Excited, you know, again the unpredictability of it, you don't know how it's going to go. I mean you really have no idea, you know, there's always a surprise or two and as these last couple Pro Days happen and the last couple top 30 visits happen, we really kind of clean up our board and kind of the way we do it, we bring guys in and we put guys either above the line or below the line," Schottenheimer said when asked about holding the No. 12 and No. 20 overall picks.

"And so below the line doesn't mean we're not going to take him. It just means that before we would take him, it's something we'd have to discuss at length."

Schottenheimer was then asked about potentially trading up in the first round to target a player rather than trading back, and his answer was music to Cowboys Nation's ears.

"Absolutely," Schottenheimer added. "Jerry's never afraid of making deals."

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones speak to the media at a press conference at the Star. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

It's going to be exciting to see if the Cowboys make a splash on draft day, but if the opportunity presents an opportunity to trade up for the top player on the team's board, it's a risk the team is going to need to take.

There is no denying Dallas is in desperate need of adding impact players to the defense, and this could be the perfect chance.

The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.

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