Troy Aikman said the Williams-to-Dallas trade could be one of the worst ever if the Cowboys' new No. 1 receiver doesn't produce this fall.

"If Roy Williams doesn't turn out to be the player they thought he would be when they made the trade," Aikman said, "I think this would be one of the biggest busts in the history of the league."

When asked to clarify his thoughts, the former Cowboys quarterback didn't hold anything back.

"I just think that when you have the chance to evaluate a player to the degree the Cowboys were able to and then to give up what you gave up, if he's not a No. 1 receiver and not a highly productive player for this team, that's a huge flaw within their scouting department," Aikman said.

Aikman made his comments Tuesday during a promotional event for Wingstop, a Richardson-based restaurant that just signed a sponsorship deal with the team.

Williams did return phone messages seeking comment.

The Cowboys sent three 2009 draft picks - a first-, third- and sixth-rounder - to the Lions for Williams just before the trade deadline on Oct. 14. In a way, the trade also cost them Terrell Owens, whom Jones said he released partly because of the investment in Williams.

Williams had little impact on the Cowboys' offense in the final 10 games.

Hampered by a foot injury, Williams caught just 19 passes for 198 yards and scored once even though he swore he knew the playbook and "swallowed that thing whole"

Aikman criticized Williams' route running on the TV broadcast of the regular-season finale against the Eagles. Williams and quarterback Tony Romo didn't appear to be on the same page when Williams turned around too late and the pass was intercepted.

"I hear on TV that Troy Aikman tried to blame it on me," Williams said the next day. "And that's not me. I'm a guy that stands up. I stand up for my mistakes. I didn't have a mistake on that one."

Now that Owens is gone, Williams is perceived to be the team's top receiver. When asked if Williams was ready for that role, Aikman said, "Well, he better."

"I don't think you can give up what the Cowboys gave up for somebody and not make that a sure bet," Aikman said. "This isn't like drafting a No. 1 receiver out of the college draft and then saying, 'Well, we think he's got all the skills to be a great player for us.'

"He's been in the NFL. He's caught balls in the NFL. They've got a lot of tape on him, and they had the ability to talk to a lot of people who had coached him, played against him, played with him."

Still, the worst trade in NFL history?

Minnesota fans have claimed that title for years after the Vikings gave up five players, six conditional draft picks and the 1992 first-round pick to the Cowboys for Walker. The Cowboys converted the incredible haul into three Super Bowl titles.

The tables were turned in 2000, though.

The Cowboys sent two No. 1 draft picks to Seattle for receiver Joey Galloway. He suffered a season-ending torn knee ligament in the opener. Over the next three seasons, Galloway caught 151 passes for 2,341 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.