Taking a page from the young people, it appears that Jerry Jones is planning to combat stress with a shopping spree.
Armed with an approach of “all in” after the Dallas Cowboys’ latest postseason disappointment, the Pokes’ owner/general manager vowed that his team will be a mainstay in this spring’s transactional ledgers.
“It would be disruptive to not do a free agent, as far as what we did last year,” Jones said as he and his front office companions prepared for this weekend’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, per video from the Cowboys. “I think you could anticipate us having some influence here and being involved in some free agents, subject to if the right free agent. Can we get under the right contract?”
The Cowboys were popular entrants on offseason “loser” lists after landing minimal men from outside the organization, opting to do their damage on the trade block (Brandin Cooks, Stephon Gilmore) instead and their own free agency ledger (Dante Fowler, Leighton Vander Esch) instead.
Dallas defied the expectations of critics with another 12-win season and an NFC East title … but the football world is all too familiar with the ending, a first-round defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
Getting involved in this year’s free agency fracas will require some sacrifices; as it stands, the Cowboys are over $19.7 million in the red when it comes to cap space …. but can buy themselves some room by moving or restructuring deals like those of Cooks, Vander Esch, Michael Gallup, Bryan Anger, Cooper Rush, and more.
And, on a grander scale, as CowboysSI.com has reported, can open up massive amounts of room by dealing with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, Zack Martin and others.
Dallas might have plenty of holes to fill on its own depth chart: Fowler, Gilmore, and Jayron Kearse are all due to hit the market while decisions around offensive veterans Tony Pollard and Tyron Smith also loom.
So the Cowboys as “buyers” might just mean keeping their own, as is the tradition around here. Or … “all in” might suggest something more grand.
