Report: Cowboys tried to trade back into first round for Paxton Lynch

Instead, Lynch is the Broncos' new quarterback.

By Sean Wagner-McGough

Apr 28, 2016 at 11:26 pm ET • 1 min read

Thirty minutes before the 2016 NFL Draft, reports of the Cowboys' interest in trading back into the first round to grab Paxton Lynch began to leak (via ESPN's Adam Schefter). It turns out that's exactly what the Cowboys reportedly tried to do.

As ESPN's Ed Werder reported, the Cowboys tried to land Tony Romo's successor during Thursday night's draft.

Source: #Cowboys made attempt to trade into first round for QB Paxton Lynch, chosen by #Broncos in trade-up deal.
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) April 29, 2016

Instead, it was the Broncos who traded up with the Seahawks to draft Lynch, who became the third quarterback to come off the board at No. 26. The Broncos gave up a third-round pick for the right to select Lynch.

So the Cowboys still are left without a long-term solution at the position. Romo, while still a very good quarterback, is 36 and is coming off a season that saw him break his collarbone twice.

With developmental prospects like Christian Hackenberg still on the board, could the Cowboys still be interested in snagging someone to sit behind Romo? Don't rule it out. They've reportedly tried to trade for one already and Jerry Jones is intent on allowing a quarterback to earn a "Harvard degree" of quarterbacking behind Romo.

UPDATE: Well, here's the Cowboys' reported offer ...

Cowboys offered Seahawks 2nd- and 3rd-round picks for their 1st to trade up for Paxton Lynch, per @toddarcher. Broncos' offer trumped it.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2016

So yeah, Jerry Jones wasn't messing around.