Jerry Jones is doubling down on going all-in.
The Dallas Cowboys owner proclaimed that the club was pushing its chips to the center of the table in preparation for the 2024 season back in January, creating anticipation for a fanbase that's gone unquenched.
Two days prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, Jones explained that he believes the team has been all-in and will continue to be.
"We feel great about what we've been in free agency," Jones said, via team transcript. "All-in. All-in. All-in. We're all-in with these young guys. We're all-in with this draft."
Jones' original all-in musing was never free-agent specific. He spoke about "key contracts we'd like to address," along with the team not building "for the future," and authoring a time-is-now narrative in the aftermath of a disappointing defeat on Super Wild Card Weekend against the Green Bay Packers.
It kept the Cowboys buzzing, but regardless of what the onus of the statement was, the offseason has sputtered along with the re-signing of running back Rico Dowdle and the free agency adds of RB Royce Freeman and linebacker Eric Kendricks standing as the most notable moves in an otherwise silent spring. Meanwhile, contract extensions talks with Dak Prescott have been non-existent and long-term pacts with CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons have yet to be worked out.
All has been quiet on the Dallas front aside from more than a handful of notable losses, among them Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard and Jayron Kearse.
With the 'Boys cap-strapped to the tune of having just $6.29 million available (per Over the Cap), gambling on free agency would've been a taxing endeavor. Conventional wisdom suggests getting some of the aforementioned long-term deals worked out earlier to free up some cap room.
Jones emphatically stated Tuesday it's not for lack of trying, it's for lack of results at the moment.
"You may be working on it and not moving anything but your eyebrows," Jones said. "Who in the world would think that we're not working on it? I work on it at 2 in the morning sometimes. What your actual question is (is) why don't you have something done and negotiated and put in the drawer? We'd like to see some more leaves fall. We'd like to see some more action. It's called option. A lot of guys need to hand it off, first guy through the line. Another guy will keep it a step and decide whether to pitch it or not, whether to cut upfield or pitch left. So, it's called an option quarterback. That's working the problem. I've spent my life being an option quarterback. I can go all the way out to the sideline and still have a pitch in me. I can do that, and that's just a style that you have. So, you never know. You may give money to somebody that you shouldn't have given it to. We got two or three names around here for me. I've been reading about them for a week, so I know they're out there. I shouldn't have handed it off as quick. I should have gone out and seen a few more of it. Should've seen some more defense before I pitched it or kept it. To say that you're not working on it or going is not the right answer. The difference is the style. It's on your mind. It'd be madness not to know that the contracts are ahead.
"Candidly. You got trouble with what the timing is around here, because I'm not ready to go."
Long and winding analogies aside, the Cowboys' options ahead this week aren't abundant. They've got just seven draft picks and plenty of needs, perhaps the most glaring being running back, offensive line and linebacker.
Jones is excited about the upcoming three days in Detroit, just as he is every year.
"I know that I don't know when I've ever been in a draft that I didn't feel like the players we were drafting were gonna be on the field for us and making significant contribution," he said. "I don't know that I've ever felt that. But today you have to have rookies contribute or you aren't getting the value that you need to have these. These are your lesser paid as far as other relative to veterans. The good ones are gonna get paid to have other days with more pay. But that's got to meld in with the overall management or work. Because you got 9 or 10 players getting 70 percent of the money. So you got to have youth and you got to have those players that fill in there and how you fill it in is gonna be the difference in the future. Frankly, probably has been if you look at it across the league."
Just as he did in January, Jones said Tuesday the Cowboys remain all-in. How that translates remains to be seen Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But regardless of how it all plays out, it'll certainly be an interesting ride.
