When the Cowboys were on the clock before the 20th pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Eagles called with a trade proposal. The Cowboys accepted, and the Eagles moved up and drafted wide receiver Makai Lemon. In making that deal, Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones disregarded one of the first lessons he ever learned: Don't trade with a division rival.

That lesson was taught to him by former Raiders owner and General Manager Al Davis, who served as an early mentor when Jones bought the Cowboys. But it's a lesson Jones said he doesn't agree with.

"I don't really pay much attention to who I'm talking to," Jones said when asked about trading within the NFC East. "Al Davis, probably the first thing he tried to put in my head was, 'Don't even answer a call from your division. Jerry, this is all about strategizing against your division opponents because you play them twice and you can't forget that edge there. That's a very strategic edge.' So I didn't take that lesson from Al."

Jones has had an inconsistent approach to heeding Davis's lesson. Last year, when the Eagles wanted to trade for Micah Parsons, Jones wouldn’t even discuss it with them, instead trading him to a non-division opponent, the Packers. But Jones has made other trades with the Eagles, including the 2021 draft-day trade that resulted in the Eagles taking DeVonta Smith and the Cowboys taking Parsons.

Lemon wouldn't be an Eagle if not for Jones' help; the Steelers were about to take Lemon at No. 21 before the Eagles got him at No. 20. If Lemon makes big plays twice a year against the Cowboys, Jones may regret ignoring Davis's advice.