Jerry Jones

Extra Points: Washington, Cutler, Cowboys, Fins, Bolts, Jags

December 12th, 2015 at 9:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Washington will head to Chicago on Sunday to face the Jay Cutler-led Bears as it looks to stay atop the NFC East heap. Besides the matchup’s playoff implications, adding further intrigue is that Cutler – whom the Bears acquired in a trade with Denver in 2009 – was minutes from being Washington’s quarterback, as ESPN’s John Keim writes.

“You know how much time I put into that? A lot. Months. Dan [Snyder] put in a lot, too,” said Vinny Cerrato, who was Washington’s executive vice president at the time. “It was disappointing because at times we thought we had a deal then they called and said, no. Then they called back and said, ‘Hold on. If the deal falls through, we’ll trade him to you.’ Then it was like, ‘No, it didn’t work.'”

Cutler hasn’t exactly been a franchise quarterback for the Bears, but he has fared better than the slew of passers Washington has used since failing to acquire him. Washington has started Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, John Beck, Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy and current No. 1 Kirk Cousins throughout Cutler’s time in Chicago, Keim notes. Among that group, the club invested a fair amount in an ineffective McNabb and a boatload in RGIII, who hasn’t taken a snap this year and is all but guaranteed to be with another franchise next season.

Landing Cutler would’ve cost Washington plenty – a first-round pick, a fourth-rounder and QB Jason Campbell – but Cerrato believes Mike Shanahan’s presence would’ve helped make it worthwhile. Shanahan coached Cutler with the Broncos from 2006-08 and went on to hold the same position in Washington from 2010-13. Cutler threw 54 touchdowns against 37 interceptions in 37 games under Shanahan and amassed a career-best 4,526 passing yards in 2008.

“Mike knew him and what made him tick,” Cerrato said. “It would have given the organization a shot in the arm. Some like him and some don’t, but he’d have played his best football because of the way he is with Mike … It was like a punch in the gut.”

We’ll never know how another helping of Cutler-Shanahan would’ve gone, but one thing’s obvious: Had it happened, it would’ve changed both franchises dramatically – not necessarily for the better in either case, of course.

More from around the NFL as we draw closer to Washington-Chicago and the rest of Sunday’s Week 14 action:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones criticized the team’s coaching staff earlier this week. On Friday, he laid some of the blame for Dallas’ 4-8 record on himself – specifically for his handling of the backup quarterback position last offseason. “On the other hand, if you want to look at any aspect of this team you can say well, if we would have been in better shape had you had Matt Cassel in the spring, rather than (Brandon) Weeden, and I’m not trying to knock Weeden, but if we would have had a guy like Cassel in here than we might have made a difference there, so put that one ultimately on my shoulders for sure,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan, per Josh Clark of CBS DFW.
Dolphins rookie receiver DeVante Parker – whom the team chose 14th overall in this year’s draft – started quietly but has come on strong over the last two weeks, combining for seven catches, 143 yards and two touchdowns. With Parker seemingly emerging as a playmaker and Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills also part of the Dolphins’ long-term receiving corps, the end of Rishard Matthews‘ tenure in Miami could come this offseason, according to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero. Matthews, a fourth-year man who’s in the top two among Dolphins in receptions (43), targets (60), yards (662), yards per catch (15.4) and touchdowns (four) this year, is scheduled to hit free agency in a few months.
Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was impressive on 12 carries against Denver last Sunday, rushing for 55 yards, but head coach Mike McCoy benched the first-round rookie because of fumbling issues. Gordon coughed the ball up twice in a 17-3 loss, giving him five fumbles on the season. McCoy’s decision to sit Gordon was wrong, Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune offers. In Canepa’s opinion, with the season effectively over for the 3-9 Bolts, McCoy and his staff should be coaching Gordon through his struggles and letting him play – not relegating him to the sideline.
The final quarter of the season will provide some important answers for the Jaguars, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Among them: the future statuses of receiver Marqise Lee, center Stefen Wisniewski, defenders Ryan Davis and Chris Smith, and kicker Jason Myers.

East Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Bills

December 8th, 2015 at 8:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys earned their first win this season without Tony Romo on Monday night, upending NFC East rival Washington, 19-16, to improve to 4-8 and remain in the hunt for the division title. Despite the victory, owner Jerry Jones wasn’t happy after the game. The 73-year-old criticized his club’s Jason Garrett-led coaching staff both for not getting star receiver Dez Bryant more involved and its end-of-game clock management, according to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Jones said that the Cowboys beat Washington “on will, not tactical mastery.” He also expressed disappointment in the team’s 1-7 record sans Romo.

“I am stunned that we haven’t been able to win more games without Tony. And I would have thought that we could have coached it up enough, and put it together enough, that we would not have lost those games without Romo early. We would be in better shape than we are right now.”

Even though they’re well under .500, the Cowboys are still in the playoff hunt because of their division’s general incompetence. Jones doesn’t sound particularly hopeful about their postseason chances, though.

“I look at it at 4-8 and won’t look at it any differently as we move up the ladder until something really special happens,” Jones stated.

More from both the NFL’s two East-based divisions:

The Bills won’t have any in-season discussions about the future status of general manager Doug Whaley, according to The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci (Twitter link).
Giants receiver Rueben Randle has garnered 66 fewer targets than last season, when he totaled career highs in catches (71) and yards (938), and he voiced his displeasure about it Tuesday. “My opportunities have been cut down a little more,” Randle told WFAN, per the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel. “It’s definitely frustrating. As a receiver you want to get more involved. It can be kind of tough when the opportunities are limited.” Randle is averaging just over five targets per game this year after piling up almost eight per contest last season.
The Bills made a surprising roster move today, releasing veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan in order to promote rookie TE Nick O’Leary. The transaction sparked some speculation that Buffalo had wanted to protect O’Leary from a team that might sign him away, and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter) that the sixth-rounder did have some clubs “fishing around” on him.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Saints, Romo, Panthers, Kelly, Lane

November 26th, 2015 at 8:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean Payton addressed the Saints‘ firing of Rob Ryan and handing over the defensive coordinator reins to Dennis Allen, noting New Orleans’ No. 32-ranked defense’s lack of preparation played a key role in the vocal DC’s exit.

“There were a few things that you looked at from a year ago when you said look, we can’t have X number of snaps with not the right number of guys on the field,” Payton told media, including NOLA.com’s Larry Holder. “You can’t burn timeouts every other week because we cannot get the right personnel on the field. We can’t have guys looking left and right at the snap of the ball.”

The Saints’ defensive coordinator since 2013 after stints with the Raiders, Browns and Cowboys, the 52-year-old Ryan has only coordinated one defense to the playoffs — the Saints in his initial season in New Orleans. He’s reportedly a candidate for the Tulane head-coaching job, however.

Ryan’s lack of proper adjustments posed an issue for Payton as well.

“We had to look at, hey, as teams have changed offensively, we’ve got to have some flexibility and find a way to reduce the variation on defense,” Payton said. “We’ve got to find a way to get a call in and play a defense without it being a panic where guys are late getting lined up.”

Let’s look at some more news from the NFC as Thanksgiving night commences.

Prior to Tony Romo‘s return from short-term IR last week in Miami, Jerry Jones disclosed the 13th-year quarterback suffered six fractures from the initial collarbone injury, per Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Romo re-injuring his clavicle Thursday provided another chapter in this season-defining saga for the Cowboys, one that the aforementioned revelation of six fractures may have been worse than the team initially let on, Werder writes.
After acting condescending and arrogantly in the wake of the Eagles‘ three-game losing streak, Chip Kelly‘s Philadelphia tenure should end despite the promise of his breakthrough methods, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com writes. Frank notes Kelly’s behavior’s turned a city against him and flies in the face of Jeffrey Lurie‘s concern for public perception and a likable coach.
Former Panthers GM Marty Hurney‘s imprint remains large on the 11-0 squad’s roster, with the since-fired GM bringing in the core of the team — Luke Kuechly, Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, etc. — and Ron Rivera. Pro Football Talk’s Darin Gantt writes that while Hurney’s salary cap decisions disrupted future Carolina financial decisions, owner Jerry Richardson refused to allow him to sign players prior to the 2011 lockout as he was helping Roger Goodell negotiate a new CBA.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes Mike Shula should receive the kind of consideration Adam Gase and Josh McDaniels will this offseason for head-coaching positions after overhauling Newton from a one-read college quarterback to a Pro Bowler in the NFL. The former Alabama coach has been with the Panthers since 2011, as the quarterback coach before becoming the OC in 2013.
The man who helped hire Dave Gettleman to succeed Hurney in North Carolina, former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi, will provide a big boost by aiding the Lions‘ GM search, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Accorsi also helped the Falcons and Bears hire their current GMs, Thomas Dimitroff and Ryan Pace, respectively.
Jeremy Lane looks to make his season debut this week, with the Seahawks set to activate the cornerback who’s been sidelined since Super Bowl XLIX, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk reports. “Jeremy’s going to be active,” Pete Carroll told media. “And if he makes it through the week okay, he’s going to be dressing and playing.” Lane tore his ACL after intercepting Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. After the Seahawks benched recently signed Cary Williams in favor of DeShawn Snead on Sunday, Lane will compete with those performers to for Seattle’s right cornerback job across from Richard Sherman, Crabtree reports.

Extra Points: Manning, Goodell, Hardy, Flacco

November 22nd, 2015 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Week 11 winds down, here’s the latest news from around the league.

Peyton Manning‘s acceptance of a potential front office position could have to wait, with both Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Florio (on NBC’s telecast) hearing the 39-year-old quarterback may want to play one more season. It’s doubtful the Broncos keep Manning around at a figure close to the $21.5MM he’s set to earn in 2016 during the fifth year of his five-year contract, but Florio reported Manning would consider continuing his career on another team. Cabot reports Manning might be hesitant to join the Browns‘ front office since his wife Ashley, a part owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, would prefer to stay in the south.
An old topic appears to be regaining some steam, with Roger Goodell telling Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter) a move to expand the regular season is on the table. This would apparently involve reducing the preseason, per Tomasson, who didn’t specify whether this means the 18-game figure that caused so much contention between the NFL and NFLPA years ago. NFLPA president Eric Winston recently didn’t rule out an expansion to 18 games, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk views this subject’s resurfacing centering on the growing number of international games aligning schedules and some teams’ reluctance to give up home contests.
The Cowboys‘ patience with Greg Hardy is waning, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (as relayed by NFL.com’s Conor Orr). In addition to the on-field blowups and photos of Nicole Holder emerging recently, Hardy’s late nights are a concern to the team despite the defensive end being on a one-year deal. Hardy also showed up late for a meeting last Saturday night before the Cowboys’ game against the Buccaneers. This has induced dialogue between Hardy and Jason Garrett, Jerry Jones and various team veterans.
As he’s done throughout the season, though, Jones came to Hardy’s aid. “He is aware that everything he does — his personality, his style, his enthusiasm — it’s all going to be interpreted negatively,” Jones told ESPN.com’s Jean-Jacque Taylor. “If he’s not aware of that, then he’s hurting a lot of people. I think he really gets that. We certainly feel that way. He understands it, and he has agreed to really work on it.” This seems to contradict the above report, but it’s in line with Jones’ comments on the embattled defender throughout the season.
The Ravens will bring in another quarterback (Twitter link via Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun) after Joe Flacco‘s torn ACL injury, which Zreibec notes (on Twitter) the Ravens are confident is a torn ACL and MCL. Zreibec tweets Jason Campbell, Rex Grossman and Bengals practice squad member Keith Wenning are options. Wenning spent time on the Ravens’ roster last season.
Brian Hoyer will stay as the Texans‘ starter when he returns from a concussion, Bill O’Brien informed the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson. T.J. Yates has helped the Texans to back-to-back wins, while Hoyer sports a 13-to-4 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio.

East Notes: Williams, Collins, Cowboys, Eagles

November 21st, 2015 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some rumors coming out of the Eastern time zone as those squads prepare for Week 11, or in the Giants’ case, Week 12.

Rex Ryan admits there’s a 50-50 chance the Bills‘ wild card push won’t include Kyle Williams, the Associated Press reports. The 10th-year Buffalo starter and four-time Pro Bowler’s been out since Week 7 with a left knee injury. A setback in the defensive tackle’s recovery caused his season to be in jeopardy.
Jamie Collins will miss his third straight game with an undisclosed illness, but the Patriots‘ standout linebacker doesn’t have MRSA, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Unlike recent scenarios where the Giants and Buccaneers had to disinfect their facilities for MRSA, the Patriots have not had to do this, Howe reports.
Greg Hardy‘s recent tardiness issues stemmed from being “humiliated” by a Twitter mishap and the embattled Cowboys defensive end needing time to regroup before facing his teammates, Jeremy Mincey conveyed to Albert Breer of NFL.com.
Jerry Jones admits the Cowboys have tried to get “cute” at the quarterback spot in his tenure, bringing in players like Quincy Carter and Brandon Weeden, the Dallas owner said on 105.3 The Fan (as relayed by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “I’ve tried to get cute — and I don’t mind saying tried to be cute — at the quarterback spot,” Jones said. “I tried to get us what I thought was the equivalent of a Romo with Quincy Carter in the (second) round (in 2001). We tried to get one that was drafted high, obviously in somebody’s eyes had high potential, in this case Mike Holmgren thought Weeden was certainly a first-round pick.” Jones also lamented not trading for Matt Cassel prior to the season, believing the Cowboys would not be 2-7 had they given Cassel more time to learn the system.
With the Eagles moving to Mark Sanchez after Sam Bradford‘s latest injury, Breer writes of the lose-lose trade that now has both one-time starters — Bradford and Nick Foles — on the bench in their new locales. But Sanchez being a superior runner to Bradford at least makes teams account for another dimension in a disappointing Philadelphia attack. “If they just use the zone-read and run the ball, yes. Otherwise, he’ll throw the ball to the other team in crucial situations,” an NFC executive told Breer when asked if the Eagles are better off with Sanchez. Technically, Sanchez is a better runner than Bradford, but he’s never gained more than 110 yards in a season, so it’s a limited upgrade.
Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall is transitioning to safety, playing on the back line on passing downs as free agent signing Jeron Johnson lined up there in run situations last week, the Washington Post’s Mike Jones reports. A starter at corner for the Falcons, Raiders and Washington from 2004-15, the 32-year-old Hall’s been supplanted at his natural position this season.
In an itinerary of how the Giants can book their first playoff berth since their latest Super Bowl year, 2011, Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News suggests Orleans Darkwa be given a bigger role in Big Blue’s muddled running back corps. The second-year UDFA sports a team-best 4.7 yards per carry but on just 23 totes. Top ball-carriers Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams‘ per-carry figures sit under 4.0, with Williams’ sitting at 2.8.

East Notes: Hardy, Fins, D. Lewis

October 11th, 2015 at 12:02pm CST by Rory Parks

Greg Hardy is set to make his Cowboys debut today, though it will not come without some extra controversy. On Tuesday, in his first media session since he signed a one-year deal with Dallas this offseason, Hardy made some bizarre and ill-timed comments regarding Tom Brady‘s wife and returning to the field with “guns blazin,'” and a rap video heavy on strippers and guns–which Hardy made during his suspension–surfaced just yesterday. The NFL’s first vice president of social responsibility, Anna Isaacson, recently issued the following statement:

“I couldn’t disagree more with Greg Hardy’s comments, and they do not reflect the values of the league. We are working hard to bring attention to the positive role models many other players represent and also to continue our education with all members of the NFL family.”

As the early Week 5 games approach, let’s take a quick swing around the league’s east divisions, including more notes on Hardy:

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett reportedly admonished Hardy for his comments, but on Friday, owner Jerry Jones took to the airwaves to defend his player. In so doing, says Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News, Jones undermined his head coach and further enabled the apparently oblivious Hardy.
In a bit of Twitter repartee this morning, ESPN’s Ed Werder and former Packers executive Andrew Brandt discussed the Hardy signing. Brandt points out that, in normal circumstances, Hardy would have generated interest from 12-15 clubs, but given his impending suspension, only one or two teams were interested. Werder says that, had teams known Hardy would have agreed to the team-friendly terms that the Cowboys offered him, there would have been at least 15 clubs in the running. The lack of interest, Werder says, was not based upon morality.
The Dolphins might have just fired Joe Philbin, but it was not that long ago that owner Stephen Ross was determined that Philbin would lead his club for the foreseeable future. Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Miami vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum pushed Ross to at least pursue Dan Quinn, who was ultimately hired by the Falcons, but Ross would have none of it, and the Dolphins never even made an effort to contact Quinn.
Whether or not the Dolphins are able to land Sean Payton in the offseason–and all indications are that Payton will remain in New Orleans—James Walker of ESPN.com says the interest in Payton makes it clear that Miami will be seeking an experienced head coach at season’s end.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe explores why the Patriots, who rarely invest in running backs, recently signed Dion Lewis to a contract extension through 2017 after just three games. As Volin points out, the Pats got tremendous value out of the deal, as Lewis has no guaranteed money for 2016 or 2017, and his cap number for 2017 will be the second-lowest among all starting running backs. New England is privately shocked that Lewis accepted a deal so far below market value.

Cowboys Notes: Murray, Jones, Michael

September 19th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After rushing for an NFL-best 1,845 yards in 2014, running back DeMarco Murray left the Cowboys in free agency and signed a five-year, $42MM deal with NFC East rival Philadelphia. Sunday will be Murray’s first matchup against Dallas, which chose him in the third round of the 2011 draft and helped him develop into an elite running back. And, if not for the Eagles’ decision to pursue Murray after trading LeSean McCoy and losing to Indianapolis for Frank Gore‘s services, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones believes Murray might have continued his career in Dallas.

“I still think today we could have gotten him if Philly had not jumped in,” Jones said, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t think he would have gone to Oakland or Jacksonville, but they came in at the last second and got [the price] up there.”

Extra Points: Cowboys, Wilkerson

September 12th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys made the wise decision to select ex-Notre Dame offensive guard Zack Martin 16th overall in the 2014 draft, but they did so against owner Jerry Jones’ wishes, chief operating officer Stephen Jones – Jerry’s son – told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

“Let’s go over this quarterback thing one more time,” said Jerry Jones, despite hearing endorsements of Martin from Stephen Jones, senior director of college/pro personnel Will McClay, head coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

The Cowboys then tried – and failed – to move down in the draft before settling on Martin.

“Son, if you want to do special things in life, you can’t keep picking and doing things down the middle,” Jerry said to Stephen afterward. “What we just did was down the middle.”

Martin did special things as a rookie, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. Quarterback Johnny Manziel, whom Dallas could have taken instead of Martin, had a poor first year both on and off the field and enters his second season backing up journeyman Josh McCown in Cleveland.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported earlier Saturday that the Jets and defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson are far apart on contract talks and unlikely to continue negotiating when the season starts Sunday. However, there is not – nor has there ever been – a hard Sunday deadline to get a deal done, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). That means the two sides could still hammer out a long-term extension during the season.
Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), showered praise on rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. “It was amazing how quickly our team bonded with Mariota. He has a businesslike professional approach. Doesn’t get rattled.” Mariota, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, will square off against the No. 1 selection, Bucs QB Jameis Winston, on Sunday.
The Browns won’t improve on their 7-9 record from 2014 without another big year from their defensive backfield, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. The group includes three Pro Bowlers in Joe Haden, Tashaun Gipson and Donte Whitner. Gipson believes he’s part of the best secondary in the league. “Any time you get together this kind of talent nothing bad can go wrong in our eyes,” he said. “If we execute the game plan and play fast I feel there’s no better secondary out than us.”
The five-year, $45MM extension the Cowboys signed Tyrone Crawford to Saturday makes the Eagles’ recent four-year, $29MM pact with Mychal Kendricks look better, opines former Eagles and Browns executive Joe Banner. Kendricks’ deal is the best one any team has given out this year, Banner thinks (Twitter link).

Reactions to Greg Hardy Ruling

July 11th, 2015 at 9:50am CST by Ben Levine

Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy has his suspension reduced from 10 games to four yesterday, prompting owner Jerry Jones to release a very brief statement:

“We are looking forward to the start of the season and having Greg be a part of the team.”

The story may not be over, however. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the 26-year-old is still considering appealing the ruling, with a decision expected early next week.

As Schefter notes in a second tweet, the next move for Hardy would be filing suit against the league in federal court. Adrian Peterson took this route and had his suspension completely erased.

Let’s check out some more notes and reactions stemming from yesterday’s decision:

Hardy was present for the entire appeal hearing, but he did not testify, according to documents obtained by ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio. The writer believes the decision to keep Hardy quiet was a “concession that a violation occurred.”
The reduced suspension “was a win for the Cowboys but a loss for humanity,” opines Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Dallas Star-Telegram. Yes, Dallas will now get the former Pro Bowler for twice as many games. On the flip side, as Hill notes, the NFL continues to look clueless as they hand out punishments for domestic abuse.
Hill adds that it would be best for all parties if Hardy took his suspension and moved on. What Hardy did was wrong, says the writer, and there’s no reason for the player to “be defiant now.”
ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert hopes Friday will the final time “we’re confused, distrustful or otherwise outraged” by the discipline in domestic abuse cases. As Seifert notes, the NFL can now refer to their revamped domestic violence policy, which calls for at least a six-game suspension for a first-time offense.

Cowboys Notes: Collins, Leary, Jones

May 8th, 2015 at 8:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

La’el Collins decided to choose the Cowboys because of what he hopes will be a more lucrative second contract, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).

Cole describes Collins’ mindset of attempting to catch on with the league’s best offensive line in hopes of inflating his value in the process. Collins, who Cole expects to start at left guard in place of Ronald Leary this season, can renegotiate his deal after two years, something the LSU product hopes to do after the circumstances that conspired to keep him out of the draft depreciated his value considerably.

Here is some more news coming out of Dallas on Friday night …

Collins’ arrival doesn’t necessarily mean potential competitors up front are trade bait, Jerry Jones tells Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Leary is perceived to be the weak link on a formidable front, but the 26-year-old guard improved his play considerably last season, finishing as the 19th-best guard in football on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Davison does list Collins among his locks to start up front — either at left guard or right tackle — along with Tyron Smith at left tackle, Zack Martin at right guard and Travis Frederick at center. Right tackle Doug Free signed a three-year extension in March.
Jones has been busy not just adding three players with first-round talent but discussing it. Calling into a Dallas radio station KRLD, the Cowboys owner said he’d be open to trading the team’s 2016 first-round pick for help now, writes David Helman of Fox Sports Southwest. The question posed to Jones centered on running back or defensive help, to which the owner replied: “I’d be reluctant to, but certainly if the right situation came along that could improve us now, with where we are with (Tony) Romo, his career and where we are with what we’ve put together, it’s a good time to go for it,” Jones said. So the Adrian Peterson-to-Dallas rumors may still be clinging to life. Jones has traded first-rounders for talent in the past with sketchy results, sending the Lions three picks for Roy Williams in 2008 and exchanging two first-rounders with the Seahawks for Joey Galloway in 2000.
Appearing on KESN in Dallas, TheMMQB.com’s Peter King likened the Cowboys’ acquisition of Collins to a “stealth bombing,” allowing Dallas to procure three top-20 players on its draft board. “I bet the average salary of those two guys this year is going to be a million dollars,” King told the radio station. “If that. And so to me, the Cowboys caught a tremendous break in some ways.” They’ll likely total more than $1MM together next year, but a tremendous bargain nonetheless, should these gambles result in consistent on-field availability.
The Cowboys owner offered extensive praise for Collins in an interview with KRLD. Summarized by the Dallas Morning News, the conversation featured Jones preferring Collins’ versatility and desiring a young line that could stay together for as many as 10 years.

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