Buffalo turned its return into rookie defensive back Jordan…
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.
Buffalo Bills Received
- pick 2025 5th round pick (170th overall, Jordan Hancock )
- pick 2026 7th round pick (228th overall subsequently traded, VJ Payne )
Dallas Cowboys Received
- player Kaiir Elam
- pick 2025 6th round pick (204th overall, Ajani Cornelius )
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
The March 2025 deal sent Kaiir Elam and pick No. 204 to Dallas for pick No. 170 and a 2026 seventh-round choice that became No. 228. Dallas used No. 204 on tackle Ajani Cornelius; Buffalo used No. 170 on defensive back Jordan Hancock. The 2026 pick did not stay put: Buffalo later packaged No. 228 with Taron Johnson to acquire No. 182 from Las Vegas.
Buffalo Bills Return
Buffalo has received useful depth rather than a starter from Hancock so far. The Bills' official statistics credit him with 13 games and no starts in 2025, and he appeared again in Week 1 of 2026, bringing the total to 14 games and 23 tackles. No. 228 also retained transaction value. The Bills used it with Johnson to get No. 182, then combined No. 182 with No. 66 to move to No. 62 for Davison Igbinosun. That downstream player cannot be credited solely to this seventh-rounder.
Dallas Cowboys Return
Dallas got the strongest immediate role from Elam. NFL records show 10 Cowboys games and seven starts in 2025, with 29 tackles and one pass defended. The value did not last: Dallas waived him on November 22 after he had lost his starting job. Cornelius, selected at No. 204, appeared in one game with no offensive snaps and seven special-teams snaps. That leaves Dallas with a brief starting-corner return plus very little early value from the pick.
Value in Hindsight
The comparison is close because each side produced limited but traceable value. Elam's seven starts matter more than Hancock's zero starts to date, but Buffalo still has an active second-year defender and extracted additional trade utility from No. 228. Because that seventh-rounder was only one piece in two later packages, Buffalo should not receive full credit for Igbinosun. Dallas likewise cannot treat Cornelius as established value after one appearance.
Final Verdict
Dallas receives C+ and Buffalo receives C, producing a narrow Dallas Cowboys Win. Elam supplied the best single stretch of immediate playing time, even though his Cowboys tenure ended after 10 games. Hancock's ongoing role and the seventh-rounder's downstream utility keep Buffalo close. The concrete outcomes support a modest Cowboys advantage rather than a decisive one.