Charvarius Ward hasn’t forgotten what the Dallas Cowboys did to him. The newly signed Indianapolis Colts cornerback made that very clear in a recent interview, throwing shade at the team that gave him his first NFL opportunity—only to ship him off before he had the chance to prove himself.
“I was strappin’ all them boys. I thought I was gonna make the team with Dallas, but Dallas don’t make a lot of good decisions, so they ended up trading me to Kansas City.”
That’s not just a jab. That’s a fact. Dallas traded Ward to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 for offensive lineman Parker Ehinger, who never played a single snap for them. Meanwhile, Ward turned into a Super Bowl-winning, Pro Bowl-caliber corner. The Cowboys gave up a future star for nothing.
Charvarius Ward became a Super Bowl champion, while Parker Ehinger vanished
#Colts CB Charvarius Ward on being undrafted in 2018 and getting traded by the #Cowboys:
“I was strappin’ all them boys. I thought I was making the team, but Dallas don’t make a lot of good decisions so they traded me.” 💀
(via @Colts, h/t @Colts_Law)pic.twitter.com/5a6l3iJHmh
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 19, 2025
Dallas bet on the wrong guy. Ward was an undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee, but he was proving himself in training camp and preseason. The Cowboys had a loaded cornerback room at the time, but they still made the wrong call.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo saw something the Cowboys didn’t. Ward played 56 games for the Chiefs, starting 43. He racked up 222 tackles, four interceptions, and 29 pass breakups. More importantly, he was a key piece in Kansas City’s 2019 Super Bowl-winning defense.
Meanwhile, Ehinger disappeared. The Cowboys never used him, and he last played in the NFL in 2021 with the Detroit Lions. That trade? A disaster for Dallas.
Ward left Kansas City for the San Francisco 49ers in 2022, signing a three-year deal. He started 46 games in three seasons, earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2023, and became one of the league’s best corners. Now, he’s secured another payday—this time with the Indianapolis Colts, who gave him a three-year, $54 million contract in free agency.
The Cowboys let all of that walk out the door for nothing.
The Dallas Cowboys keep making bad decisions, and Charvarius Ward isn’t wrong
Earlier on ESPN, Jeremy Fowler said the #Cowboys could use free agency to fill needs at LB and CB.
Fowler mentioned Charvarius Ward as a name to monitor, with both parties potentially having mutual interest.
DAL famously traded Ward as a rookie before he took off in KC and SF. pic.twitter.com/3lyn8nw8cc
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) March 10, 2025
Dallas has two playoff wins since Ward entered the league. Two. They haven’t reached the NFC Championship Game since 1995. They’re losing key talent this offseason, with All-Pro guard Zack Martin retiring and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence leaving in free agency.
Yet, they’re throwing massive contracts around. Quarterback Dak Prescott is making $60 million per year. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb? $34 million annually. Defensive star Micah Parsons is about to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
Ward has every right to call out their decision-making. He wasn’t just good enough to make the roster in 2018—he was good enough to become a top-tier cornerback in the NFL. Dallas completely misjudged his potential, and it’s not the first time they’ve botched a trade.
The Cowboys once sent wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for practically nothing. They traded for former first-rounders like cornerback Kaiir Elam and linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., both of whom have struggled.
Ward’s trade might not be the worst deal in Dallas history, but it was a mistake. He knows it. The Colts know it. The Cowboys? They’re too busy overpaying quarterbacks and watching talent walk out the door to notice.