Washington traded picks 37 and 67 to Dallas in 1996 to move…

Washington's 1996 move was a classic late-first-round trade-up that failed almost immediately. The team sent Dallas the 37th and 67th selections for No. 30 and drafted Penn State offensive tackle Andre Johnson. Washington was searching for a successor to an aging line and believed Johnson had the size and athletic profile to become a long-term starter. Instead, he never appeared in a regular-season game for the franchise. Washington released him in 1997, and his entire NFL career ultimately consisted of only three games with Detroit.

Dallas received two selections and extracted considerably more usable football. At No. 37, the Cowboys drafted defensive end Kavika Pittman. Pittman never became the pass-rushing star Dallas hoped for, but he played eight NFL seasons, appeared in 108 games and started regularly during portions of his career. No. 67 became center Clay Shiver, who played three seasons and started games for Dallas. Neither player was a major hit, yet their combined contribution easily surpassed the nonexistent Washington return.

The seventh-round compensatory selection Washington used on DeAndre Maxwell was not part of this exchange; contemporary team records describe the transaction as Dallas' first-round pick for Washington's second- and third-round choices. That matters because the correct package is already sufficient to produce a decisive verdict. Dallas turned one late first into two roster players, while Washington spent two premium selections on a player who never took a regular-season snap for the club. The Cowboys deserve an A- because the return was useful rather than spectacular. Washington earns an F because a trade-up for a first-round tackle produced no team value at all.