Washington completed a multi-player trade with Dallas on…
Washington completed a multi-player trade with Dallas on August 30, 1966, acquiring Brig Owens, Mitch Johnson and Jake Kupp for veteran defensive back Jim Steffen and Washington's 1967 fifth-round pick. Owens became the centerpiece: he played 12 seasons for Washington, intercepted 36 passes and started 124 games. Johnson also started all 14 games in 1966, while Kupp appeared in all 14 before the 1967 expansion draft.
Dallas Cowboys Received
- player Jim Steffen
- pick 1967 fifth-round pick (#119-Willie Parker; later included in Ralph Neely settlement)
Washington Commanders Received
- player Brig Owens
- player Mitch Johnson
- player Jake Kupp
Trade Analysis
The legacy row had accumulated several duplicate placeholders, but the supported transaction has a clear five-asset structure. Pro Sports Transactions records Dallas sending Brig Owens, Mitch Johnson and Jake Kupp to Washington for Jim Steffen and Washington's 1967 fifth-round pick, No. 119. Dallas' official historical draft material describes the same exchange. Washington's 1967 media guide adds useful timing context: Owens initially became a Redskin earlier in August, and the trade was later completed by adding Johnson and Kupp while Washington sent Steffen and the draft choice. The August 30 date therefore represents the completed package rather than three separate unrelated trades.
Washington received the strongest direct asset by a wide margin. Brig Owens became a long-term defensive fixture, playing 158 regular-season games for Washington over 12 seasons with 124 starts and 36 interceptions. In his first season alone he started 13 games, intercepted seven passes and returned one for a touchdown. Mitch Johnson immediately started all 14 games at left tackle for Washington in 1966. Jake Kupp also appeared in all 14 games that season, catching four passes as Washington experimented with him at tight end before leaving him available in the 1967 expansion draft. Even without assigning Kupp's later New Orleans career to Washington, the incoming trio produced substantial immediate and long-term value.
Dallas' return was not empty, but it requires careful chain accounting. Jim Steffen's Pro Football Reference career ends in 1965, so the veteran did not produce a regular-season game for the Cowboys after the trade. The fifth-round pick did retain meaningful value. Pro Sports Transactions shows No. 119 later included with Dallas' first-, second- and another fifth-round selection in the November 1966 settlement that secured the Cowboys' rights to Ralph Neely. Neely became a major Dallas player, but this trade should not receive the entire value of Neely because No. 119 was only one component of a four-pick package. The correct credit is partial downstream asset value, not full attribution.
Washington wins the exchange because Owens alone delivered more direct value than Dallas received from Steffen, and Johnson added an immediate full season as a starter. An A for Washington reflects Owens' 12-year tenure plus the supporting value of Johnson and Kupp. A B- for Dallas recognizes that the fifth-round choice retained enough value to become part of the Neely settlement, while also acknowledging that Steffen produced no Cowboys regular-season value and that the acquired pick cannot reasonably be credited with all of Neely's career.