The Dallas Cowboys aren’t wasting any time shaking things up right before the regular season kicks off, and this latest move with the Pittsburgh Steelers is a big one. Dallas just landed a former first-round tackle, and Pittsburgh walked away with future draft capital instead. Here’s how the deal breaks down.

“Trade terms … Cowboys get: OT Broderick Jones, 2027 fourth-round pick. Steelers get: 2027 third-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick,” Albert Breer posted on X.

Jones went 14th overall just a few years ago, but things in Pittsburgh never quite came together, especially after he missed six games last season.

He’d actually moved back to his more natural spot at left tackle in 2025, hoping that would turn things around. It didn’t. He kept struggling in pass protection, and then his season ended early when he suffered a neck injury in Week 11 against the Chicago Bears. Before that injury hit, he’d already given up six sacks and 6 hits allowed to opposing pass rushers, according to PFF.

Recovering from spinal fusion surgery wasn’t quick either. Jones got the green light for football activities right as training camp kicked off, but shaking off the rust took longer than expected.

Steelers coach Mike McCarthy touched on that early in camp.

“I think it speaks volumes for Broderick and what he’s been doing here the last couple of months,” Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said early in training camp. “So I just think, like anything, when a player comes off of a medical clearance, you can’t just go to a hundred miles an hour.”

Honestly, most people saw a trade coming. There were already whispers that Jones wasn’t quite the same physically after the surgery, and Pittsburgh had been quietly moving on for a while. They declined his fifth-year option, used their 2026 first-round pick on tackle Max Iheanachor, and shifted 2024 first-rounder Troy Fautanu over to left tackle.

Jones was pretty honest about where things stood too.

“I’m still working through it,” Jones said in July. “I wouldn’t say I’m where I want to be at. Just trying to get back in shape and putting the weight back on in the right places.”

Over in Dallas, owner and GM Jerry Jones made it clear after Friday’s preseason finale that the Cowboys were ready to be aggressive in shaping their roster, and this trade is proof of that.

For Dallas, this feels like a low-risk, high-upside move. They’re not giving up a ton, they’re getting a former top pick back in return.

For now, Jones steps in as the swing tackle, but don’t be shocked if he ends up pushing Terence Steele for a starting job as the season goes on.

What Broderick Jones brings to the Cowboys

Jones brings real game experience to a Cowboys team that needed it, having played in 45 games and started 38 over three years in Pittsburgh. The Cowboys need tackle depth, and He has the athleticism to pull and hunt in the second level, plus the strength to latch on and displace defenders, even if it hasn’t shown up yet at the pro level.

He’s already shaken off the rust a bit, logging 142 snaps across Pittsburgh’s three preseason games since returning from injury.

Last season he played every single snap at left tackle, but before that he’d mostly worked the right side. That kind of versatility is exactly why he makes sense as Dallas’ swing tackle option.

So did the Cowboys already have this position figured out before the trade? Not exactly, based on what head coach Brian Schottenheimer said after Friday’s preseason game. He mentioned wanting to watch the film before making any calls, and pointed out that Nate Thomas and Drew Shelton have been battling it out in camp.

He sounded happy with the group as a whole, but nothing about his answer sounded final. That leaves plenty of room for Jones to make his case.

Jerry Jones also made clear the tackle competition is far from settled, even with the added depth.

“We’ve seen some guys that we might make some shifting around if it called for it,” Jerry Jones said. “But we’ve got a good plan. We’ll see where we go from here, it’s not over yet.”

His addition definitely stirs the pot in Dallas’ tackle room. Right now, that group includes Jones, Tyler Guyton, Terence Steele, Nate Thomas, Drew Shelton, and Marcellus Johnson, and that competition just got a whole lot more interesting.