Cowboys caught in the middle as Joneses refuse to do what works

The lack of aggression in acquiring talent has left the Dallas Cowboys apparently right where Jerry Jones likes to be, the middle. | From @BenGrimaldi

Super Bowl Sunday has arrived and for the second consecutive year, one of the participants is there on the strength of being ultra-aggressive in offseason talent acquisition. Dallas Cowboys fans may not like it, but the Philadelphia Eagles are competing for championship because of they constructed a better roster than their NFC East brethren.

Meanwhile, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen continue to do business their way.

It’s been 27 years since the Cowboys have seen the big game firsthand, or gotten past the divisional round of the playoffs, an embarrassing number for the franchise. Yet the Cowboys still like to operate a different way, which is opposite of how most winning teams build these days.

Management can poo-poo how the Los Angeles Rams and Eagles constructed their rosters, but the Cowboys organization cannot deny the success of how being aggressive in upgrading talent gives teams a better chance at winning. There are risks in trading draft picks and shelling out big money in free agency but standing pat hasn’t gotten the Cowboys anywhere since the turn of the century.

To Eagles general manager Howie Roseman’s credit, he recognized the risks, and chose to be aggressive. Roseman views the gambles as a better alternative to being cautious and playing not to lose, something Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie appreciates.

The Eagles realize what the Jones’ in Dallas haven’t come around on yet; being in the middle in the NFL is the worst place to be. Most franchise quarterbacks, or the best players, are found at the top half of the draft, where being average doesn’t get teams.

For the Cowboys, who are lucky enough to have a top-tier QB, being just good enough to win NFC East titles and a playoff game seems to be fine for Jerry and Stephen Jones. While winning a championship is the ultimate goal, being good, but not great gives the Cowboys a feeling they’re close enough to win with what they have.

That’s a false sense of self-worth.

It also means the Cowboys are rarely in a full rebuild, which helps the Jones’ pockets. If the team stinks, it affects the bottom line and ownership doesn’t like that proposition. So instead of risking not having a good season, the Cowboys would rather stay nice and comfortable in the middle of the pack and hope things break their way to win another Super Bowl. Jerry Jones admitted that much recently.

For a man who says there’s no check he wouldn’t write to win another Super Bowl, this philosophy makes little sense. It sounds even worse when in the last few years, the Super Bowl winners have been extremely aggressive in spending in free agency and trading draft capital to procure the best talent.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed quarterback Tom Brady and running back Leonard Fournette to help win a title, while the Los Angeles Rams traded for QB Matthew Stafford, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, pass rusher Von Miller and wide receiver Odell Beckham to help win their championship.

Last offseason, the Eagles had one of the more aggressive approaches in adding talent in quite some time. The Eagles added pass rusher Haason Reddick and cornerback James Bradberry in free agency, then traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown and safety C.J. Gardner Johnson. All four players paid off. Bradberry, Brown and Reddick were all second team All-Pro performers, while Gardner-Johnson was tied for the league lead in interceptions.

The Eagles didn’t stand on their laurels either, after great start to the year, they kept bringing in talent. Philadelphia added former All-Pro players Ndamukong Suh and Robert Quinn, as well as former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Linval Joseph to reinforce their defensive line.

These moves, coupled with the Eagles’ aggressive approach in trading for cornerback Darius Slay and signing defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a big contract in free agency a few years ago has helped build the team.

And as much as Jerry Jones believes the Eagles went “all in” like the Rams, that isn’t the case. Philadelphia used trades, aided by getting a buyer on former quarterback Carson Wentz, and fleecing the New Orleans Saints for draft picks, to help improve the roster, while still having cap room and high draft picks in the future.

It might not be the same all-in approach, but the Eagles and Rams do have something in common; an aggressive mindset in acquiring talent. The Cowboys are the antithesis of that approach, and it boggles the mind.

Jones is now 80-years old, and time could be running out for him to hoist another trophy. Tomorrow is not guaranteed and if Jones wants to get back to being a champion he needs to take those risks he was once famous for.

The oddest part of the Joneses’ stubbornness is that it’s exactly how they won three Super Bowls in the 1990’s. Dallas traded for defensive end Charles Haley to help push the team over the top and signed cornerback Deion Sanders in free agency to the richest deal for a defensive player in history at the time.

Both of those moves worked out and the Cowboys might not have won those championships if those moves hadn’t been made. That’s why it’s frustrating for Dallas fans to watch the team be so lifeless in acquiring talent over the last decade, hiding behind the salary cap to justify their lack of aggression.

Meanwhile, the best teams in the league recently are all in go for it mode. Not the Cowboys though, they’re stuck in the worse possible place, the middle. And they have the Jones’ to thank.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi