Buffalo Bills–Dallas Cowboys Trade History

Buffalo's signing of Pat Toomay produced immediate value: the defensive lineman became the Bills' defensive MVP in 1975. Dallas received a 1977 second-round choice as free-agent compensation. The Cowboys later folded that No. 30 pick into the package used to trade up for Tony Dorsett. Buffalo got an excellent short-term player, but Dallas turned the compensation into part of a franchise-changing acquisition.

Buffalo Bills: Buffalo received Wade Manning but moved him to Denver within days. The Bills therefore gained almost no sustained roster value from the original exchange. The D grade reflects only value tied directly to this transaction, including production or draft value the club itself controlled. Against Dallas Cowboys, that supported return leads to the final verdict of Dallas Cowboys Win.

Buffalo acquired cornerback Rod Hill and Dallas' 1985 fifth-round selection, which became Jimmy Teal, while sending Dallas its own 1985 fifth-rounder plus 1986 sixth- and conditional twelfth-round choices. Dallas converted those picks into Matt Darwin, Thornton Chandler and Chris Duliban. None became a franchise star, but Dallas extracted three draft assets from a depth-player exchange and produced the cleaner cumulative return.

Buffalo traded three selections, including its 2005 first-rounder, to Dallas for the No. 22 pick in 2004 and drafted quarterback J.P. Losman. Losman started 33 games over five Bills seasons but never stabilized the position. The price became Julius Jones, Sean Ryan and Marcus Spears, giving Dallas a starting running back, a useful tight end and a long-term defensive starter.

Buffalo traded picks No. 75 and No. 110 to Dallas for No. 51 and selected guard Andy Levitre. Levitre started every game in four Bills seasons, giving Buffalo 64 consecutive starts before leaving in free agency, and eventually started all 143 games of his NFL career. Dallas selected Robert Brewster and Victor Butler; Butler became a useful rotational linebacker, but the Cowboys' combined return did not approach Levitre's reliability.

Buffalo traded quarterback Matt Cassel and a 2017 seventh-round pick to Dallas on September 22, 2015 for a 2017 fifth-round pick. The Bills eventually used No. 171 on Nathan Peterman, while Dallas later used No. 228 on Joey Ivie. Cassel provided short-term quarterback depth for the Cowboys, but neither team's draft outcome became a durable success. The realized value on both sides remained modest.

Buffalo turned its return into rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock and a 2026 seventh-rounder that later helped produce another trade asset. Hancock has played 14 regular-season games through Week 1 of 2026 without a start. Dallas received seven 2025 starts from Kaiir Elam before waiving him and only one appearance from Ajani Cornelius. The Cowboys retain a narrow hindsight edge, C+ to C.