Why the Cowboys should not even consider trading up for Travis Hunter

It seems incredibly unlikely that the Cowboys would trade up for Travis Hunter, although it is fun to think about.

It’s always the same song and dance for the Dallas Cowboys. They are risk-averse in free agency and protect draft capital like Gollum and his precious ring. Those two things together don’t necessarily create many opportunities to make big roster moves, and that can upset the fanbase. Who doesn’t like a little splashiness here and there?

There was a time not too long ago when Jerry Jones was always willing to spice things up. Giving up premium draft capital for players like Joey Galloway or Roy Williams was fine and dandy back then. Moving up to take Morris Claiborne was okie dokie if it meant landing college’s top cornerback.

Sadly, those moves didn’t work out. In fact, they stung a bit. So much in fact, that it caused the front office to step away from the ledge every time they thought about jumping into a deal that potentially could have a long-term negative effect.

That is not to say they didn’t consider it. They still did. It’s just that they have reeled back what they are willing to lose in exchange. Some of the deals the Cowboys didn’t make, they were close to making, but the cost was just a smidge too high to pull the trigger. The failed Paxton Lynch trade in the first round of 2016 and the passing on trading for Earl Thomas for a second-round pick in 2018 are a couple of examples. There are probably others, but those are the ones they have spoken about. The Cowboys aren’t being aggressive in those moments because they value what they’d have to get up to make it happen.

Trading for WR/CB sensation Travis Hunter is the splashiest of splashes. For the Cowboys to pull that off, they’d have to give up a lot. Hunter is projected to go in the top five of next month’s draft. According to the NFL trade value chart, the Cowboys would have to give up next year’s first-round pick or a package of picks that could include their second- and third-round pick this year. That’s expensive.

To get something good, you have to give up something good. But for Dallas to give up so much premium draft capital for one player is super risky for them because they are counting on those picks to become players with low-cost rookie deals who make meaningful contributions. And the more, the merrier.

The Cowboys are already paying some hefty prices for their star players, and those expenses are only going to rise when you consider they have to pay Micah Parsons, Tyler Smith, and possibly even DaRon Bland soon. To have the funds to do that, the Cowboys must find ways to cut costs, and that is where all those rookie deals come in. They need all the Cooper Beebe’s and Marshawn Kneeland’s they can get. Trading away premium draft capital reduces the chances that the Cowboys would have to replenish their inventory.

And if Hunter would cost a future first-rounder, now they would be taking away one of the team’s biggest strengths, landing first-round picks. The Cowboys are a league above the rest in finding great talent in round one, and taking their legs out from underneath them in this area wouldn’t be smart.

Forget that they whiffed on Claiborne. And ignore that Williams wasn’t even close to the receiver he was when he was with the Detroit Lions. Instead, think about how dealing for Claiborne cost them two players, one of whom would have been Bobby Wagner. Or, how the Williams trade deprived them of draft capital that led to the infamous “special teams draft” of 2009, where none of the players they selected received a second contract from the Cowboys. None.

Just because they were bad at trading up for players before doesn’t mean they will be again, but what we do know is that this team has been pretty good at making picks. There is no reason to take that away from them, especially when they rely on those players to maintain a competitive roster.