Dallas acquired kicker Skip Butler from Detroit for an…
Dallas acquired kicker Skip Butler from Detroit for an eleventh-round pick in 1979, but Butler never appeared in a regular-season game for the Cowboys. Dallas therefore received no realized NFL game value from the player it targeted. The deal became costly only in relative terms because Detroit turned the outgoing pick into a multi-season contributor.
Dallas Cowboys Received
- player Skip Butler (William Foster Butler)
Detroit Lions Received
- pick 1979 eleventh round pick (#302-Eddie Cole (a))
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Dallas acquired kicker Skip Butler from Detroit in August 1978 and sent the Lions its 1979 eleventh-round draft choice. Detroit later used that selection, No. 302 overall, on linebacker Eddie Cole. The trade was minor in acquisition cost, but its downstream result is unusually clean because one side received no regular-season service while the other converted a late pick into two seasons of roster value.
Dallas Cowboys Return
Butler never appeared in a regular-season game for Dallas. Whatever the Cowboys hoped to gain from adding a veteran kicking option, the transaction produced no documented game contribution for them. That makes the return easy to evaluate in hindsight: Dallas spent a future pick on a player who did not generate regular-season value for the club.
Detroit Lions Return
Detroit used the acquired eleventh-round selection on Eddie Cole. Cole appeared in 28 games for the Lions across the 1979 and 1980 seasons and made two starts. He was not a star and the pick did not become a premium asset, but Detroit converted an outgoing player who produced nothing for Dallas into a linebacker who occupied an NFL roster and contributed across multiple seasons.
Value in Hindsight
The gap is not about star power. It is about realized value from a small transaction. Dallas got zero regular-season games from Butler, while Detroit received 28 games and two starts from the draft choice. A late-round depth contributor is still a successful outcome compared with no contribution at all, particularly when the acquisition cost was only a player the Lions were willing to move.
Final Verdict
Detroit wins. The Lions earn B- for converting Butler into useful multi-season depth, while Dallas earns D because Butler never played a regular-season game for the Cowboys. The grades keep the stakes modest while reflecting the clear difference in realized value.