By trading with a division rival, Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, openly went against the long-standing advice of his late friend, coach Al Davis.

During the post-draft conference of Day 3, Jerry Jones was asked about trading with the Eagles, and Jones said that Davis advised him not to provide a way for the division team to improve.

"Jerry Jones says Al Davis taught him not to trade in-division, but he decided to answer the Eagles' call in the first round,” according to Pro Football Talk's X post.

Before this latest move, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys last did draft-day business in 2021, and it changed everything. Philadelphia jumped to No. 10 for DeVonta Smith, while Dallas slid back to No. 12 and walked away with Micah Parsons.

"Al Davis, probably the first thing he tried to put in my head was, ‘Don’t even answer a call from your division," Jones said to Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News during the post-draft conference of Day 3.

The franchise traded their 2026 first-round pick (No. 20) and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick and two fourth-round picks (Nos. 114 and 137).

"Jerry, this is all about strategizing against your division opponents because you play them twice, and you can’t forget that edge there. That’s a very strategic edge. So I didn’t take that lesson from Al.” Jones added to Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News.

Al Davis was a former owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders in the NFL. And Jones was quite clear on differentiating between game and business.

According to Josh Sanchez of Si.com, any team wouldn't generally help their division rival land their prospects, but Jones went ahead with a business perspective, rather than strategising against them. 

The trade down with the Eagles helped the Cowboys land Malachi Lawrence, meeting their defense needs.

Cowboys Secure Malachi Lawrence After Eagles Deal

The Dallas Cowboys made an unexpected trade deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to land Malachi Lawrence at No. 23 in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Lawrence is the only player selected by the Cowboys in the first round from the UCF Knights, who became the fifth first-round pick in the Knights’ program history.

He recorded a total of 72 tackles (47 solo), 28 tackles for loss, and 20.0 sacks in 39 games played, which ranked him 10th among UCF’s all-time best sack producers. 

His production is backed by Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer, showing trust in their pick of Lawrence. 

“His ability to bend, to turn his toe, and to accelerate off of different angles [is real]," the head coach said later when selecting the selection. "What we love about him is that he doesn’t just get the quarterback. He gets the ball. That’s a big emphasis for us this year.”

Having played at both the tight end and linebacker positions at school and converted to defensive end during college, Lawrence is expected to fit in well with defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s ‘3-4 defensive front with multiple looks.'

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote