Cowboys Stephen Jones: Nobody on NFL trade block (think 'Minkah') worth a first-round pick

Cowboys Stephen Jones: Nobody on NFL trade block (think 'Minkah') worth a first-round pick

FRISCO - If our early-Monday report on where the Dallas Cowboys are in regard to trading a first-round pick for Miami defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick didn't shut down the gossip, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones just did.

At least three NFL teams are willing to engage in that level of talks with Miami, via the trusted Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who writes that it would be a "surprise'' if Fitzpatrick is still a Dolphin by next Sunday, when his woeful 0-2 team is scheduled to play at Dallas, riding high at 2-0 after another pounding of an NFC East foe, this one by a 31-21 score at Washington.

Salguero reports, "The Dolphins have been talking with three teams who are seriously interested in the former No. 11 overall selection, according to sources. The Dallas Cowboys, interested early on, have dropped out of the derby and would have to do much work to make up the ground they’ve lost to those three teams.''

And now along comes Stephen to say, "No thanks.''

“I can’t say that there is anyone right now that we’re looking at on any team that would warrant (trading) a first-round pick that we think might be available,'' Stephen tells 105.3 The Fan.

That's a bit of Jerry-style Word Salad there, but the message is clear: The Cowboys talked with the Dolphins about the idea of acquiring the disgruntled young Fitzpatrick, the No. 11 player taken in last year's NFL Draft. The Cowboys then evaluated in-house the asking price of a first-rounder plus.

And now Stephen is saying, Word Salad aside, that the trade-block names you're hearing about around the NFL are not - to the Cowboys - worth a first-round pick.

And if the bidding war truly includes a trio of other teams that disagree with Dallas? The 0-2 Dolphins will show up on Sunday at AT&T Stadium for a game against the 2-0 Cowboys ... and Minkah will be nowhere near the premises.