San Diego acquired Dallas draft rights to wide receiver Brian…
San Diego acquired Dallas draft rights to wide receiver Brian Bedford on June 29, 1988 for a 1989 ninth-round pick. Bedford had been Dallas' ninth-round selection that spring, but he did not produce regular-season NFL value for the Chargers. With the future ninth-round choice not tied here to a consequential Dallas return, the small exchange is best treated as an even C/C trade.
Dallas Cowboys Received
- pick 1989 ninth-round pick (selection not identified)
Los Angeles Chargers Received
- other selection rights to Brian Bedford
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
The Chargers acquired the selection rights to Brian Bedford from Dallas in late June 1988. Contemporary reports describe the return as an undisclosed 1989 draft choice, while Chargers historical records identify it specifically as a ninth-round selection. Bedford had been taken by Dallas at No. 232 in the 1988 draft, making this a rights-for-late-pick transaction before training camp.
Dallas Cowboys Return
Dallas gave up a ninth-round prospect it had just selected and received another ninth-round choice for the following year. That was a reasonable way to recover value from a player the club was not planning to carry. Without a clearly consequential downstream player tied to the returned selection, the Cowboys side remains ordinary rather than a hidden windfall.
Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers Return
San Diego received a big receiver prospect but did not get regular-season NFL production from him. Bedford spent time with the Chargers but never became a contributor in a regular-season game for the club. Because the acquisition cost was only a ninth-round pick, the miss was inexpensive, yet there is not enough football value to justify a winning grade.
Value in Hindsight
This is the kind of low-cost rights transaction where restraint matters. Dallas recycled a late-round asset and San Diego took a modest swing on a receiver prospect. Bedford did not create meaningful NFL value for the Chargers, but the price was also minimal. Neither side produced a clear advantage large enough to move the deal away from an even C/C result.
Final Verdict
The final call is Even Trade. Dallas Cowboys receives a C grade and Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers receives a C grade. The grades emphasize the assets that actually survived the transaction, the useful NFL production generated after the move, and the price each club paid. The result stays proportional to the size of the deal and does not turn a depth move or late-round asset into a franchise-changing event.