The Cowboys-Steelers rivalry runs deep. And although the two storied franchises haven’t squared off in a Super Bowl in over 30 years, a new chapter of the decades-long grudge match may have been written during the opening round of the 2026 NFL draft.
“Pittsburgh is pissed about this,” said the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris on the “House of Haymaker” show Friday. “They feel like Dallas duped them. Especially with the draft being in Pittsburgh, they felt embarrassed on a national stage.”
It all centers on the trade Dallas made to fall back three spots from No. 20 to No. 23. The Cowboys ended up with UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence and gave their previous slot to the division-rival Eagles, who selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon.
But that’s not how it looked like it was going to go down in the moment.
The Steelers, sitting at No. 21, apparently made an early phone call to Lemon to tell him they were about to draft him, just as soon as Dallas made their seemingly inevitable pick of a defensive player.
TV cameras even captured Lemon on the phone in the green room with Steelers GM Omar Khan, but then Lemon asks out loud, “Hey, why is Philly calling me?”
Unbeknownst to anyone in the Steelers organization, the Cowboys and Eagles had worked out a deal. Philly jumped up and claimed Lemon at No. 20, and Pittsburgh was left empty-handed, even as they were still on the phone with the prospect they had just lost.
According to Harris, the Cowboys had been fully prepared to stay put at No. 20 and select Lawrence, even though they wanted to trade back. And it may have been a casual check-in between old co-workers that tipped the Cowboys off to a possible way to do it.
“There’s a lot of [Cowboys] connections with that new Pittsburgh staff,” Harris explained. “Remember, Mike McCarthy is the new head coach there. He hired a lot of assistant coaches and executives and scouts and people behind the scenes that were in Dallas just a couple years ago. So it could have been as simple as someone in the Dallas war room just shooting a text to somebody in the Pittsburgh war room, just like, ‘Hey, who are y’all taking here?’ And them thinking, ‘Oh, the Cowboys are taking defense. … We’re taking Makai Lemon.’ And the Cowboys call Philadelphia and are like, ‘Hey, the Steelers are going to take Makai Lemon. We know you want a receiver. Come up here, do this deal with us, and give us two fourth-round picks.’ And they did the deal.”
Other reports suggest it was Philadelphia who called Dallas to initiate the trade, as Lemon was the last of their top players available.
But Harris is reporting that the Steelers are blaming the Cowboys.
“Pittsburgh is pissed,” Harris said. “Multiple sources have told me this morning.”
What’s that saying about the enemy of my enemy is my friend?
Maybe whoever called who isn’t important. (Except for the Steelers calling Lemon before they were actually on the clock; that’s just a dumb move.) What’s remarkable is that for a brief moment, the Cowboys teamed up with the hated Eagles to stick it to the Steelers… and their own former head coach… while making his first draft pick… with his hometown club… in front of a record-sized crowd.
And they got the guy they wanted plus extra draft picks in the end.
All’s fair in love and war and the NFL draft.
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Report: Steelers furious with Cowboys over trade to let Eagles snatch WR Makai Lemon
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
