Cowboys Cut 'Seatbelt,' Exposing Jerry Jones' Expensive Draft Habit Disaster

The Dallas Cowboys spent a first-round pick on Taco Charlton in 2017. Two years later, they cut him to make room for a pass rusher acquired with another draft pick.

Nearly a decade later, Jerry Jones is still paying for these same kinds of mistakes.

Tuesday's decision to cut cornerback Caelen Carson (part of a handful of roster moves that include the signing of QB Kyle Trask and practice-squad DB Juanyeh Thomas) is another reminder of a problem that's becoming awfully expensive in Dallas.

Carson, a fifth-round selection in 2024, appeared in 17 games with eight starts across three seasons before losing his roster spot to safety Juanyeh Thomas.

One unsuccessful fifth-round pick isn't an organizational disaster. But Carson's departure comes less than three weeks after Dallas surrendered a 2028 second-rounder and 2027 sixth-rounder to acquire cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from Pittsburgh.

And there's a familiar irony in that investment.

The Cowboys selected Kelvin Joseph in the second round of the 2021 draft, hoping he'd become a fixture in their secondary. Instead, Joseph never established himself and got into serious legal trouble, eventually departing in a trade dump with Miami.

Five years later, Dallas sent another second-rounder to Pittsburgh for Porter, himself a former second-round pick.

Porter is already showing why the Cowboys wanted him.

Against Green Bay on Sunday, the former Steeler didn't allow a reception across 28 coverage snaps, according to a Blogging the Boys film breakdown, providing one of the few bright spots in an otherwise miserable performance.

The trade could prove terrific. But Dallas is still surrendering future draft capital for the kind of defensive contributor it hoped to develop years earlier.

And it wouldn't be the first time.

In 2019, the Cowboys released Charlton to activate Robert Quinn following his two-game suspension.

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The kicker? Dallas had traded a sixth-rounder to Miami for Quinn just months earlier.

Charlton finished his Cowboys career with four sacks. Quinn recorded 11.5 during his lone season in Dallas.

The replacement worked. The original investment didn't.

Trysten Hill, Dallas' top selection in 2019, followed a similar path, getting waived days after the Cowboys traded for Johnathan Hankins in October 2022.

Those corrections cost late-round picks. That changed with Mazi Smith.

Dallas selected the Michigan defensive tackle 26th overall in 2023, hoping he'd provide a long-term answer along the interior.

Two years later ... Smith was headed to the New York Jets in the package for Quinnen Williams ... and the price had skyrocketed.

The Cowboys surrendered Smith, a 2026 second-rounder and a 2027 first-rounder to acquire Williams, who subsequently signed a three-year, $105.9 million extension.

A first-rounder spent on Smith. Another first-rounder and a second-rounder traded for Williams. More than $100 million committed to keeping him.

All at a position Dallas believed it had addressed two years earlier.

Williams is a proven star and a substantial upgrade. He might be worth every penny. But Smith was supposed to provide more value before the Cowboys needed another blockbuster investment along the interior.

Those future picks sent to New York? They're opportunities Dallas no longer has to add inexpensive contributors elsewhere — a significant cost for a roster already carrying major contracts for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

Of course, Dallas hasn't missed on every defensive selection. Micah Parsons became a superstar, while Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland and Osa Odighizuwa provided meaningful returns.

The Cowboys even fielded top-five scoring defenses in 2022 and 2023.

But maintaining that success has proven much harder.

Christian Parker is Dallas' fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons, following Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus. Each brought different expectations for the players tasked with executing his scheme.

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That turnover doesn't excuse unsuccessful draft picks, but it complicates the question of who's responsible.

Is Dallas selecting the wrong defenders, failing to develop the right ones … or repeatedly changing what it's asking those players to become?

The answer likely varies from player to player. But while Will McClay's scouting department and the coaching staffs share responsibility for those results ... Jones remains the constant overseeing the operation.

The latest attempt arrived in April.

Dallas spent five of its seven selections in the 2026 draft on defense, including first-rounders Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence. Through six games, the unit still ranks 30th in total defense.

That doesn't mean the rookies have failed. Their careers are barely underway, and the unit's struggles extend beyond the draft.

But Dallas needs this class to provide what too many previous investments couldn't: lasting contributors who allow the organization to spend its resources elsewhere.

Carson wasn't supposed to save this defense. Neither was every fifth-rounder Dallas has drafted.

But Charlton, Hill, Smith and Joseph were supposed to become part of its foundation. Instead, the Cowboys have repeatedly returned to the trade market to address positions they'd already prioritized.

Now another group of defensive rookies is being asked to provide the answers those previous investments couldn't.

Because if they don't, Jones already knows how this story ends.

Another trade. Another contract. Another draft pick spent fixing the last one.