ARLINGTON, Texas — Jerry Jones said Friday night that the Dallas Cowboys had a plan for their backup tackle spot and that the competition there was not finished. Dallas traded for Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones on Saturday.
“We’ve seen some guys that we might make some shifting around if it called for it,” Jones said after Friday’s 27-24 preseason loss to the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium. “But we’ve got a good plan. We’ll see where we go from here, it’s not over yet.”
The Cowboys sent third- and sixth-round picks to Pittsburgh for Jones and a fourth-round pick, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported the trade Saturday evening, and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported it separately. Dallas Morning News beat writer Joseph Hoyt reported that the sixth-rounder headed to Pittsburgh is the pick Dallas acquired in the George Pickens trade in May 2025.
Jerry Jones On Spending Future Draft Capital
When speaking to the media in Oxnard in late July, Jones emphasized that the Cowboys plan to trade future draft capital to improve the roster before opening day. He also said he spoke with another team about a deal the day before.
Dallas has stayed busy leading into the NFL regular season lately. The Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 28, 2025, one year before Friday’s preseason finale. The Cowboys received first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in that deal.
In March, Dallas traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to Green Bay for edge rusher Rashan Gary. Gary will earn a fully non-guaranteed $18 million this season.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Tackle Depth Before The Trade
Nate Thomas began the offseason competing with Tyler Guyton for the starting left tackle job. However, it didn’t last long as Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer named Guyton the starter after four padded practices in Oxnard. Thomas moved to right tackle after the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Drew Shelton, the 112th pick in April out of Penn State, was moved again from right tackle to left with the second team days before the Aug. 22 game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Tyler Smith has not taken a rep at tackle outside of walk-throughs this summer. Dallas used the 24th pick in 2022 to draft Smith and started him at left tackle for all 17 games as a rookie. He was later moved to left guard in 2023. He has made three straight Pro Bowls at guard. He took snaps at left tackle late last season after Guyton went on injured reserve on Dec. 24.
Terence Steele has started 91 of his 96 games since making the team as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2020. He recently restructured his contract in March into a three-year deal worth $33 million, with $22 million fully guaranteed.
Broderick Jones’ Return From Neck Surgery
The Steelers drafted Broderick Jones 14th overall in 2023 after moving up three spots with the New England Patriots. He has played 45 games and started 38. Jones played all 603 of his snaps at left tackle last season.
A neck injury in a Week 12 loss at Chicago on Nov. 23 ended that season, and Pittsburgh placed him on injured reserve six days later. He had spinal fusion surgery in March. The Steelers cleared him to practice on July 30, the eighth month of his rehab, and he played 142 snaps across Pittsburgh’s three preseason games.
Jones is in the last season of a four-year rookie deal totaling $16,626,352. This season, he is entitled to a $1.517 million base salary and a $1.5 million roster bonus. Pittsburgh chose not to exercise his fifth-year option before the May 1 deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Every team must reach 53 players by 5 p.m. CT Sunday. Waiver claims start being processed at noon CT Monday, and teams need to report their practice squads to the league by 5 p.m. CT Monday. Dallas is still making additions, with the tackle room now including Broderick Jones, Guyton, Steele, Thomas, Shelton, and Marcellus Johnson.
Dallas finished the preseason 2-1. The opener at the New York Giants is Sept. 13, with kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
