Dallas acquired veteran kicker Rolf Benirschke from San Diego…
Dallas acquired veteran kicker Rolf Benirschke from San Diego but waived him before the 1987 regular season after Roger Ruzek won the job. San Diego's listed 1989 twelfth-round return never appears as a Dallas-derived selection in the Chargers' 1989 draft. Neither acquired asset produced regular-season value for its receiving team, supporting C grades for both teams and an Even Trade verdict.
Dallas Cowboys Received
- player Rolf Benirschke
Los Angeles Chargers Received
- pick 1989 twelfth round pick (selection not identified)
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
San Diego sent veteran kicker Rolf Benirschke to Dallas in September 1987 for a future draft choice. A Chargers transaction history identifies the consideration as a 1989 twelfth-round choice, while contemporary Los Angeles Times coverage described the pick as undisclosed. The hindsight question is concrete: did Benirschke play for Dallas, and did an identifiable Dallas-origin twelfth-round selection ever reach San Diego?
Dallas Cowboys Return
Dallas received Benirschke after needing competition at kicker, but the stay lasted only days. UPI reported on September 7 that Dallas waived him after Roger Ruzek won the kicking job. Benirschke therefore produced no regular-season games, field goals, or points for the Cowboys. His reputation as San Diego's longtime scorer does not create Dallas value when the acquiring team released him before the season.
San Diego Chargers Return
San Diego's listed return also produced no identifiable player from Dallas. The Chargers' 1989 draft page shows no twelfth-round selection. The Pro Football Hall of Fame ledger marks San Diego's twelfth-round choice as going to Washington, and the draft-transaction ledger traces No. 316 to a separate April 1989 Chargers-Washington exchange for a 1990 twelfth-rounder. Dallas, meanwhile, used its own No. 308 selection on Scott Ankrom. The surviving draft trail therefore does not show a Dallas-derived 1989 twelfth-round pick being exercised by San Diego.
Value in Hindsight
The transaction created no regular-season contribution on either side that can be tied safely to the exchange. Dallas got only a brief preseason roster look at Benirschke. San Diego has a documented future-pick entry in its trade history, but no identifiable 1989 Dallas-origin selection or drafted player emerged from it. Assigning an unnamed player to that asset would overstate the evidence.
Final Verdict
Even Trade, with Dallas and San Diego both at C. Benirschke produced no regular-season games or points for Dallas, and the surviving draft trail does not show a Dallas-derived 1989 twelfth-round selection being exercised by San Diego. Neither side realized regular-season football value from the exchange.