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By Bob Sturm 2h ago
Believe it or not, the media will say a lot of things that aren’t actually founded in truth.
If you open your favorite search engine, you will find that a search of “Cowboys Eagles rare trade” has many hits because this year that was how it was described when the Cowboys made a rare trade here in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Of course, they also said that when the trade was made in 2020 between the two teams.
And we know that Sean Lee is only here because of a “rare trade” with the Eagles in 2010.
Not to mention Anthony Spencer was drafted with a rare trade with the Eagles in 2007.
Who can forget the 2005 rare trade and the 1997 rare trade between the Cowboys and Eagles.
Do you think something that has happened six times since 1997 is terribly rare?
Cowboys and Eagles Trades
| DATE▼ | TEAM | TRADED | TEAM | RECEIVED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19-Apr-97 |  Dallas Cowboys | 1997 1st round pick (25th overall, Jon Harris), 1997 5th round pick (155th overall, Luther Broughton), 1998 3rd round pick (70th overall subsequently traded, Brian Alford) | Philadelphia Eagles | 1997 1st round pick (22nd overall, David LaFleur) |
| 24-Apr-05 | Dallas Cowboys | 2005 5th round pick (148th overall subsequently traded, Jonathan Welsh), 2006 4th round pick (116th overall subsequently traded, Stephen Tulloch) | Philadelphia Eagles | 2005 4th round pick (132nd overall, Chris Canty)2006 6th round pick (182nd overall, Montavious Stanley) |
| 28-Apr-07 | Dallas Cowboys | 2007 2nd round pick (36th overall, Kevin Kolb), 2007 3rd round pick (87th overall, Stewart Bradley), 2007 5th round pick (159th overall, C.J. Gaddis) | Philadelphia Eagles | 2007 1st round pick (26th overall, Anthony Spencer) |
| 23-Apr-10 | Dallas Cowboys | 2010 2nd round pick (59th overall subsequently traded, Montario Hardesty), 2010 4th round pick (125th overall, Clay Harbor) | Philadelphia Eagles | 2010 2nd round pick (55th overall, Sean Lee) |
| 25-Apr-20 | Dallas Cowboys | 2020 5th round pick (164th overall subsequently traded, Curtis Weaver), 2021 5th round pick (156th overall subsequently traded, Isaiahh Loudermilk) | Philadelphia Eagles | 2020 4th round pick (146th overall, Tyler Biadasz) |
| 29-Apr-21 | Dallas Cowboys | 2021 1st round pick (10th overall, DeVonta Smith) | Philadelphia Eagles | 2021 1st round pick (12th overall, Micah Parsons)2021 3rd round pick (84th overall, Chauncey Golston) |
You want to know what rare is? According to my records, the Cowboys have made no trades with the New York Giants EVER.
The Giants were annoyed that the Cowboys and Eagles executed a trade that saw Dallas drop back and grab Micah Parsons for the fee of pick No. 84, which ended up being Chauncey Golston, the big defensive lineman from Iowa. This fee, to step back and let DeVonta Smith go to the Eagles (who the Cowboys will now have to cover) is reminiscent of stepping back in a trade with the 49ers in the 2013 draft that sent Eric Reid to San Francisco. Dallas took Travis Frederick in the 49ers’ old spot and then the added fee turned into pick 74, Baylor’s Terence Williams.
If you are willing to allow a rival to take their preferred player and in doing so usurp another rival to get him, you are hoping the trade back gets you two pieces of value.
Parsons better be a game-changer (we will look at him with more depth again before long) but the true profit is made when and if Golston becomes something nice at pick No. 84. Like Williams, can Golston help you win games quickly?
That’s the bet Dallas made. Let’s examine him and find out.
CHAUNCEY GOLSTON – IOWA – Redshirt Senior – Detroit – Born: 2/10/98 (age 23) – #57
Golston signed with Iowa in the spring of 2016 out of Detroit and redshirted his first year for the Hawkeyes. He played as a reserve in 2017 and a much busier reserve in 2018, followed by starting in 2019 and 2020. In those two years, he was the team leader in tackles for loss, the 2020 leader in sacks, and First-Team All-Big Ten.
He is both an older player and a late-bloomer. Without his fifth and final season, he might not be so highly regarded. Of course, at that point, he was docked for being a fifth-year guy and “older”, so it is sort of the odd way we contort samples on players. He is very solid, but also with a few hang-ups that probably go back to his three-star lightly-recruited high school resume.
As a man, he is described as an exceptional team leader and captain, a high-character player who long-time Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz could not stop complimenting, and a player who has infectious positive energy.
As a specimen, you will see below how he tested and measured amongst defensive ends.
The green is 70th percentile or above and the red is 30th percentile or below. As you can see, he is a massive human at the spot with a wingspan and arm length that are his identifying traits along with great height, hand size and leaping ability. His negatives (red) would be limited to short-area quicks and hip fluidity and bend.
He offers large amounts of versatility. Like Osa Odighizuwa, there is some valuable utility to his usage possibilities, but I think it is interesting how Golston is being touted as a large defensive end, which is a bit of a throwback. He resembles a poor man’s DeMarcus Lawrence in that he is probably best out there as a strong and useful run stuffer and then moves inside on pass-rush downs to defensive tackle, where he can really cause pass-rush problems, but mostly from inside against guards or the inside gap against tackles. Lawrence had some big seasons as an outside edge, but his present-day skill set seems close to this, so I wonder if these are bookends early and then nickel down tackle options on third down.
I think Ben Fennell’s reel during Senior Bowl week sums this up:
Did you notice the differences? All his pass rush chops are from the inside spots and all his run stuffs are 2-gapping and setting the edge with his long arms from the outside. He was on far more snaps as an outside player, but most all his sacks are from those 30 percent of snaps as the over-tackle or in the B-gap. Interesting quality and versatility.
OK, we have good news! We can use film on this player as the Big Ten is still cool with everything like this.
So, let’s soak it up!
Film Study
Oct. 24, 2020 – at Purdue
We start against the Boilermakers with these three snaps:
When he gets things done as a pass rusher from the defensive end spot, it is often those Euro-step looking two-handed chops and using his arms to create space to dive inside and then explode through. That is very nice quickness, but the ball gets out fast.
Here, Golston on the other end will take the B-Gap and slide in to stop the run. This is where his strength really shows. Also, his arms and wingspan are great against the run to clean up anything in his sector.
He gets a clean-up sack off the edge. This is where he demonstrates his motor and willingness to stay in a down and keep working away and maybe something will come in your direction. He doesn’t really have a ton of moves to work with, but with arms like that and a motor, he pushes things down the track until he finds what he is seeking. If the ball doesn’t come out, he can finish plays.
Oct. 31, 2020 – Northwestern
I saw a lot to like in this heart-breaker against Northwestern. Incidentally, No. 54 is Daviyon Nixon, who I really liked and had in my Sturm 60. For whatever reason — and there were whispers — he slid into the fifth round to Carolina. I really dig Golston, but I also think Nixon is just as good, but maybe doesn’t quite have the same endorsements of character and leadership and maybe that is all it is right now. Honestly, I expect Nixon will be the type who we wonder how a player of that quality fell to the fifth in a few years. We shall see.
Here is the Iowa package where nobody ever gets in the stance to foul up pass-pro assignments. The dancing around allows him to show off his athleticism with half the field to cover against the quarterback. Again, he is already 270 pounds, so he isn’t going to run quite like a deer, but as you can see, it isn’t bad work at all. He can move pretty well.
Now you are going to see his wingspan. Yes, this is against a tight end, but this is classic work. He shows color to the inside of the blocker and the running back is trained to bounce if he sees color inside to the next option outside. Of course, Golston is planning on this, so he tosses his man aside and makes the tackle. This is dominant run defense that should instantly translate.
This is the very next play. I could just tell you the exact same stuff, or you can recall the same drill. Show to the inside, throw your guy out of the way, get to the outside, and end the play by yourself. Top-notch work again. He is ready to stop runs and play the edge in the NFL.
Moments later, they try to get him to chase the pulling blockers and basically bootleg back with a run against the action of the offensive line. If he is napping, he will chase past the ball. To his credit, he is on the case and stops the runner again. The hips and fluidity look great here, right? He is single-handedly ending all right runs.
Goal-line run. He just doesn’t stay blocked. This time, it is the right tackle, but watch the handwork, the disengage and the stop. He discards his block so fast.
Here, he never touches the ball-carrier, but he effectively sets up the roadblock, sending the runner right into the jaws of the help. He sets the edge with outrageous ease. This is his value as an end. You stop the run and earn the right to move inside and rush the passer on later downs.
Here, Nixon and Golston are on the same side and work in tandem as Nixon chases the passer right into the arms of Golston on the outside. This is great work and a line that is whooping the Northwestern front, despite the score.
Since I am delighted to have the gift of video, let’s show you the third game I did, too — at Penn State.
Nov. 21, 2020 – at Penn State
Here he is right on the inside shoulder of the guard and ready to get a push on a third down. With that length, he is trying to open a lane for the blitzing linebacker behind him, but he decides to haul off and keep pushing to get a piece of the sack himself. Great work and good power and length working to give that center fits.
Active body and he sees the ball. He deflected so many passes himself with his plastic-man arms, but this time, his mate does it and sets him up for an interception. He is very active and aware.
Penn State decided to test him on the zone read and the quarterback seems to have missed his read. He should definitely make the defensive end respect him or the back is in big trouble.
Guess what, the back was in big trouble. Golston was never thinking the QB was keeping that.
Day 2 of the draft had the Cowboys go corner-DL-DL-corner and they have officially thrown big numbers and big investment at their defense. The names are not terribly famous but the quality continues to show. Personally, I grade Golston in front of Odighizuwa, but they got them both and both should be a big part of their rotation as early as September.
This is great news and I expect that the versatility of both is even more reason for optimism. In Golston’s case, he should be great against the run and useful against the pass. Basically, what Taco Charlton was billed at, but not as a first-rounder. Instead, this was the bonus pick from the Eagles and demonstrates real quality.
Next week, we will look at Jabril Cox and continue our journey. Anyone who is saying Dallas’ defense has not improved is not doing their homework. This appears to be a large group of talented prospects who are ready to roll.
