The Dallas Cowboys arrived at training camp in Oxnard, California, with a newfound sense of optimism. The offseason featured almost no drama, and quite honestly, it’s been rather cricket-y. This has left many people wondering, when is the drama coming?
Well, leave it to Jerry Jones to create some noise as soon as he stepped in front of the microphone. Rather than spending the better part of Tuesday’s press conference justifying their lack of front office moves, Jones opted to throw some unprovoked
fuel on the fire, stating that he is willing to make a big move to make this year’s team better, even if it requires trading away future draft capital.
For years, the Cowboys’ front office has built its identity on calculated decisions. Draft capital is like gold to them. Lately, they’ve been dabbling a little, giving up some high picks for George Pickens last summer, and then Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline. That was easier to part with considering some of those draft picks came courtesy of the Micah Parsons trade, but is it possible that Jones has more dealing to do?
“I’d give up the future to substitute where we are today, as to a player, to give you an idea about what I’d invest, something substantive, to get the right kind of deal and improve us for Opening Day, I would, “Jones said, surprisingly deviating from the typical “we like our guys” approach we’ve seen routinely over the years. The Cowboys owner then proceeded to talk about saving a little for today, a little for tomorrow, and then about milk toast, in an otherwise typical incoherent Jones, except we could sense what he was getting at.
Jones was blunt, stating that he feels good enough about this team to be comfortable in pulling the trigger to make a big trade to help them go from good to great. He knows the clock is ticking and he doesn’t have a lot of time to lolligag if he wants to capitalize on a dwindling window where Dak Prescott is leading the offense. Time is of the essence.
Jones is always saying things. He is quite the talker, but he created real excitement by leaking that he had just recently been on the phone with some unnamed owner discussing a big trade to strengthen the defense. He backpedaled slightly to avoid implicating himself in any potential tampering violations, but it was too late. Jones now has the fanbase believing they are just a piece here or there away from something big happening in Dallas, and maybe, just maybe, Jerry is going to finally push those chips in the middle.
With the idea that the Cowboys could be up to something, the question then moves to – who are they eyeballing? Edge rusher Maxx Crosby is atop the rumors, especially after Jones clarified that he has never walked away from pursuing him. Additionally, this new development also happens to align with the recent rumors of Vita Vea wanting out of Tampa Bay, although the team has already reloaded considerably at the defensive tackle position after trades for Williams and Kenny Clark.
The remnants of Jones’ comments are spreading like wildfire, and it has sparked huge enthusiasm within the fanbase. A willingness to go big now and make a blockbuster deal creates even more excitement in an already exciting start to training camp. New coaches and new players have amplified the intrigue, so why stop? Just keep teasing away with more goodness. The team has already mortgaged some future cap for right-now productivity, so who’s to say they’re not willing to ship off a little more of their future?
