It was a bit of a shock when the Kansas City Chiefs traded up in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft to select CB Mansoor Delane. It turns out that the Chiefs actually had a backup plan in place that would’ve seen them trading down in Round 1.

What if Brett Veach had been unable to secure a trade-up for Delane or another player? What if pick No. 9 came, and the players that Kansas City liked were no longer available? Well, according to the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach, the Chiefs would’ve sent their pick to the NFC East.

The Chiefs had a trade down in place with the Cowboys in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft

Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer recently spoke on The Twins Take Podcast. In the appearance, he revealed Dallas had a trade in place with the Chiefs to move up to secure S Caleb Downs. Kansas City, of course, moved up with the Browns in Round 1 instead of agreeing to a trade with the Cowboys.

“We were nervous,” Schottenheimer said. “We had four guys targeted that we really felt really strongly about that would fit great in our culture, and our football team, and Caleb (Downs) was at the top of that list. We actually had a deal in place. We had a trade in place with Kansas City that we were hoping to be able to make a move for. Well, they moved up early in the draft to the top four or five for (cornerback) Mansoor Delane, so we were kind of like, ‘Okay, we’ve lost that opportunity.’ But the draft is very, you know, it’s the unknown, and so as Caleb started to fall, he was hitting their 9, 10.”

Dallas ultimately moved up to No. 11 overall, giving up two of their fifth-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft (No. 177 and No. 182), to get Downs.

What would the Chiefs have netted in a trade with the Cowboys at pick No. 9?

Strangely, we actually know the answer to this question. In ESPN’s “The Pick Is In” series, the Cowboys tried to move up to pick No. 9. This came after the Chiefs had traded it to the Browns for CB Mansoor Delane at No. 6 overall. Dallas offered picks No. 12 and 20 (plus a fifth) for Cleveland’s No. 9 and 24.

Browns GM Andrew Berry called the offer “light in all dimensions.” So, it’s reasonable to wonder if the Chiefs felt the same way about the offer. Schottenheimer seems to believe the Cowboys could’ve executed the trade with Kansas City, had they not moved up for Delane.

Does this news put more pressure on Chiefs rookie CB Mansoor Delane?

Mansoor Delane already has a lot of pressure on him as the No. 6 overall pick. The Chiefs moved up to get him after parting ways with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. This news feels like it could be added pressure on the rookie to perform.

It’s tough to play the what-if game, but the Chiefs could theoretically have had three first-round draft picks had they traded down from pick No. 9 with the Cowboys.
They’d have received the Rams’ pick No. 29 for McDuffie, and they’d have picks Nos. 12 and 20 from Dallas.

What would I have done with those three picks? Miami DE Reuben Bain at No. 12. San Diego State CB Chris Johnson or USC WR Makai Lemon at No. 20. Stick with Clemson DT Peter Woods at No. 29. Now, there’s no telling how a trade like that from Dallas would’ve shaken up the rest of Round 1. However, all of those three players were available at those picks, given how things played out.

The one thing that could make Chiefs Kingdom feel better about losing out on that type of haul? If Delane is a lockdown-coverage cornerback right out of the gate. They clearly believe he can be that, given their decision to trade up for him. But with the clock ticking down to training camp, it certainly leaves us wondering what could have been had things gone differently on draft night.