The outspoken Cowboys owner held court with the press in Indianapolis, touching on a wide variety of topics, including Dez Bryant’s return.
Practically the entirety of the NFL media corps assembles in Indianapolis each year for the annual scouting combine. An army of reporters outfitted with cameras and microphones, just hanging around looking for things to broadcast/write/tweet about? Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is simply incapable of helping himself.
His lengthy huddle with the Dallas press aboard his parked bus has become a yearly tradition. And the outspoken owner always manages to deliver at least a few buzzworthy soundbites, even if he rarely makes any genuine take-it-to-the-bank revelations about the inner workings of the front office.
On a Dez Bryant return…
Over the course of eighty minutes on Thursday, Jones touched on a wide-ranging list of topics. But the quote that everyone will be talking about on Friday may be his weirdest since 2012’s “glory hole” line.
What Jones thinks about in the shower is a revelation, to be sure, but probably falls under the category of TMI for even the most hardcore Cowboys fan. Still, the Dez-comeback scenario appears to have gained real traction with the man who signs the paychecks.
On the franchise and transition tags…
Jones admitted that he voted for the collective bargaining agreement that’s up for approval from the players union, even though its ratification would cost the front office a bit of leveraging strategy when it comes to one of their superstar free agents.
The team could employ both the franchise and transition tags on Prescott and Cooper, respectively, under the terms of the current CBA. But if a new deal is made official, the league would expect Dallas to rescind one of the tags in accordance with the new CBA’s terms.
“It’s what it is. We’ll just have to figure out a way to (get it done),” Jones told Gehlken. “There’s no question it’s going to put on a bigger angst.”
On Dak Prescott’s importance…
The lack of a new contract for quarterback Dak Prescott looks more baffling by the day and has led some to question the team’s very belief in the signal-caller, who’s coming off his best season as a pro.
But when asked about Prescott’s importance to the organization, Jones struggled initially to find the words. When he did, though, he put the former fourth-round draft pick on par with his own son.
On Robert Quinn returning for a second season in Dallas…
Edge rusher Robert Quinn was one of the few standouts on a defense that mostly underachieved in 2019. His 11.5 sacks made the sixth-round draft pick that the Cowboys gave to Miami in exchange for his services perhaps Jones’s best deal of 2019 in terms of bang-for-buck.
Some have assumed that those numbers would make Quinn too hot a commodity for Dallas to keep beyond the one-year rental deal they made to get him. But Jones holds out hope.
On Jason Witten’s future as a Cowboy…
Jerry’s affection and loyalty for certain players has always been obvious throughout his regime. It’s not every owner who would greenlight giving a starting spot on the roster to a 36-year-old retiree who had spent the previous season watching games from a broadcast booth.
The 2019 Jason Witten Experiment netted results that were lukewarm, at best. While many in Cowboys Nation have already moved on from the eleven-time Pro Bowler and started to prepare for life with him in a different uniform, Jones says he isn’t ready to cut ties just yet.
On the chances of retaining Byron Jones…
With Prescott and Cooper comprising the two biggest priorities for the team this offseason, it’s been Byron Jones who’s typically being left out in the cold as visions of the 2020 roster materialize. Despite his obvious athleticism and shutdown play at the cornerback position, a lack of interceptions has been frustrating, to say the least.
Stephen Jones actually spoke about Byron in past tense recently, saying, “He’s had a great run” as a Cowboy. Jerry isn’t packing Byron’s bags just yet, but sure makes it sound like the writing’s on the wall.
On Jimmy Johnson’s place at the table…
Jimmy Johnson will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer. But the Cowboys coach who commandeered the turnaround of the franchise and masterminded the creation of the ’90s dynasty still isn’t in the team’s Ring of Honor.
Some have speculated that Johnson’s invitation to Canton would spur Jones to bury the hatchet once and for all, and in the most meaningful way possible, by hanging his first hire’s name permanently in his own house. But when asked about it, Jones sidestepped the issue.
On Leighton Vander Esch’s recovery…
The 2018 season saw the dawning of what Cowboys fans hoped would be a golden age of Dallas linebacker play. Jaylon Smith blossomed before our eyes, and rookie Leighton Vander Esch proved his worth as a first-round selection. But in 2019, Smith’s play seemed to regress, and Vander Esch missed the back half of the season with a mysterious neck issue that dates back years.
Jones expressed optimism, though, that the Wolf Hunter would be back on the prowl in 2020.
On the 2020 schedule…
Jerry doesn’t make the schedule, but he obviously knows what the Cowboys are capable of pulling in regarding TV ratings. If there’s a big game being played, it’s unfailingly made even larger by America’s Team being one of the participants.
Jones has his eye on two key ribbon-cutting games on the 2020 schedule.
For the media members who climb aboard Jerry’s party bus in Indianapolis every year, it’s always quite a ride. Even though it never actually leaves its parking spot.
