In what's become an annual occurrence, Jerry Jones has been increasingly weighing the idea of trading down in the first round over the last few weeks.
However, as legendary Dallas Morning News columnist Rick Gosselin explains in a searing column, that's the last thing Cowboys fans should want to hear:
Trading down helped Jimmy Johnson build a dynasty at Valley Ranch in the early 1990s. But since Johnson's departure in 1994, every trade down by the Cowboys in the first round of a draft seems to have pushed the franchise further away from another Super Bowl.
Jones loves to wheel and deal in the draft room, which is great, if you really know what you are doing. However, the later you pick in the draft, the harder it is to find good players, and the track record of the Cowboys front office after the first round indicates that they don't need to be making decisions any harder on themselves.
In 2009, when Dallas dealt their first and second round picks, they had 12 selections in the final five rounds. Three years later, only three players from that draft are still on the team: QB Stephen McGee, LB Victor Butler and TE John Phillips, and McGee may be on his way out of town as well.
There will be some talented players available at No. 14, and as Gosselin writes, Jones has lost the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being cute on draft day.
For the latest news and analysis on the Cowboys draft plans, check out SB Nation Dallas' exclusive storystream, while Blogging The Boys is your off-season home for all things related to America's Team.