Sorry Cowboys: Steelers Won Broderick Jones Trade By a Mile

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers very clearly walked away as early winners of the Broderick Jones trade. And while the Dallas Cowboys may be able to make more out of Jones than Pittsburgh did, the compensation they got for him was way more than anyone ever imagined.

The Steelers sent Jones, a former first-round pick, to the Cowboys along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for a 2027 third-round and sixth-round pick.

From Dallas' side, they may feel comfortable getting a reliable backup swing tackle with 45 games of experience and 38 NFL starts under his belt. The Steelers needed to move on, though, and everyone seemed to know that before the trade.

Aug 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones (77) looks to block Green Bay Packers defensive end Arron Mosby (53) during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Dylan Cook being a reliable swing tackle and rookie Max Iheanachor being the future, the Steelers didn't have a spot for Jones this season. Maybe he could've been the backup on the left side since Iheanachor doesn't have experience there, but it felt like an extra roster spot that Pittsburgh simply couldn't justify. Especially if they're keeping four quarterbacks.

Plus, Jones is returning from a neck injury that ended his 2025 season. He wasn't cleared to return to practice until training camp and has lost a noticable amount of weight since the injury.

To get a third-round pick in return for a player who was on the fringe of being cut anyway is a huge win for the Steelers. Whenever a Jones trade was talked about this summer, it was thought of as a deal that would include a late-round pick at the most. Never did anyone imagine a third was possible, even if they sent a fourth-round pick back.

So, yes, the Steelers very clearly won the trade. At least at first glance. How this pans out won't be known for some time, but leaving the initial trade, Pittsburgh should feel pretty good about the move.

It Also Helps Their Roster Decisions

This team needs to find players to waive in order to keep room for an extra quarterback. Names like Ryan McCollum, Cole Holcomb, Travis Homer and Robert Spears-Jennings have been tossed out as possible cuts in order to keep the roster at 53 players, but most of these names may now be safe.

Removing Jones from the equation makes everything easy. It might let the Steelers keep five inside linebackers or a seventh-round rookie who looks to be the real deal early in his career. No matter what the decision is, Pittsburgh seemingly solved their keeping-four-quarterbacks conundrum and got a third-round pick in return.

Every once in a while, Omar Khan pulls a fast one on the NFL. Maybe Jones turns out to be better in Dallas than he was in Pittsburgh, but looking at this trade today, the Steelers sure look good hanging up the phone and sending the paperwork to the league office.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!

Add us as a preferred source on Google