Dallas acquired veteran quarterback John Roach from Green Bay…
Dallas acquired veteran quarterback John Roach from Green Bay in September 1964 for its 1965 third-round selection, later No. 33. Roach provided four emergency starts but went 0-4 with one touchdown and six interceptions. Green Bay flipped the Dallas pick through New York and ultimately turned the Roach asset into championship kicker-punter Don Chandler.
Dallas Cowboys Received
- player John Roach
Green Bay Packers Received
- pick 1965 third-round pick (No. 33; later Bob Timberlake, transferred by Green Bay in the Don Chandler chain)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
Dallas needed quarterback help after Don Meredith was injured during the 1964 preseason, and John Roach was an experienced option who had already backed up Bart Starr in Green Bay. Pro Sports Transactions dates the trade to September 1, 1964 and identifies Dallas' 1965 third-round selection as the compensation. Later Cowboys media guides also state that the 1965 third-round choice was traded to Green Bay for Roach. The pick became No. 33 in the 1965 draft.
Dallas' Return
Roach gave the Cowboys immediate depth, but the regular-season results were poor. Pro Football Reference records nine appearances and four starts for Dallas in 1964. He completed 32 of 68 passes for 349 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions, and the Cowboys went 0-4 in his starts. That was real emergency value at a position where Dallas needed a veteran body, but it did not produce wins or a longer-term answer. Roach did not play another NFL season after 1964.
Green Bay's Return
The Dallas pick became much more valuable through Green Bay's next move. Packers historical research explains that Green Bay sent Dallas' 1965 third-round selection to the Giants in November 1964 for New York's 1966 third-round choice. Green Bay then sent that 1966 choice back to New York in January 1965 for Don Chandler. The Packers describe the sequence as essentially turning Roach into Chandler. The Giants ultimately used the Dallas-origin No. 33 pick on Bob Timberlake.
Downstream Value
Chandler became Green Bay's kicker for three straight NFL championship seasons and also punted in 1966 and 1967. The Packers credit him with 48 made field goals in three seasons, the overtime winner in the 1965 Western Conference playoff, three field goals in the 1965 NFL Championship Game and four field goals in Super Bowl II. He later entered the Packers Hall of Fame. That downstream value is directly traceable to the draft asset Green Bay received for Roach, even though the pick changed hands before Chandler arrived.
Final Verdict
Green Bay Packers Win. Dallas gets a D+ because Roach filled an emergency need but produced four winless starts, a 1-to-6 touchdown-to-interception line and no value beyond the season. Green Bay earns an A because the Cowboys' third-round pick became the transactional bridge to Chandler, whose kicking and punting materially contributed to one of the most successful championship runs in league history.