Miami acquired guard Burton Lawless from Dallas in a…
Miami acquired guard Burton Lawless from Dallas in a conditional 1980 deal, but released him before the regular season. Lawless therefore produced no Dolphins regular-season contribution, and his later 1980 service came with Detroit. Miami took a short look at the veteran without ultimately paying the conditional draft cost.
Dallas Cowboys Received
- pick draft pick (not exercised)
Miami Dolphins Received
- player Burton Lawless
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Dallas sent guard Burton Lawless to Miami on August 19, 1980 in a conditional transaction. Contemporary reporting specified that Dallas would receive a draft choice only if Lawless made the Dolphins. Miami released him before the regular season, so the condition failed and the draft choice did not convey.
Miami Dolphins Return
Miami's return was the opportunity to evaluate Lawless as an offensive-line option. He did not make the regular-season roster and therefore gave the Dolphins no games, starts, or production. Lawless later appeared in the 1980 season with Detroit, but that service belongs to a different club and cannot be credited to Miami's return from this deal.
Dallas Cowboys Return
Dallas' compensation depended entirely on the roster condition. Because Lawless did not make Miami's team, the Cowboys received no draft choice. There is no downstream pick to trace because the asset never came into existence for Dallas. The Cowboys therefore received no realized trade return, even though they also avoided watching a conveyed pick turn into value for Miami.
Value in Hindsight
The cleanest description is that the condition erased the exchange's lasting value. Miami got no regular-season contribution from Lawless, and Dallas got no draft asset. This is exactly the kind of transaction where hindsight should not invent value from a conditional pick that never conveyed or from a player whose later work came elsewhere.
Final Verdict
The trade is Even. Miami earns C and Dallas earns C. Both sides finished without a direct football return from the transaction. The neutral grades reflect that zero-versus-zero outcome while preserving the factual distinction that Miami at least evaluated Lawless before releasing him.