An NFC general manager called the Dallas Cowboys ‘scary’ while an AFC executive said barring injuries, this is an 11-win team
The media jury may be out on the whole of the Dallas Cowboys 2016 draft, but that sentiment may not carry over to the people who actually are part of the NFL. According to a piece on Bleacher Report by Mike Freeman, two executives in the NFL have claimed that the Dallas Cowboys are starting to make all the right moves.
One of those executives (an unnamed NFC general manager) went as far as to say the ‘Boys are beginning to scare him.
"“The Cowboys are starting to scare me. You could always count on Jerry Jones f—ing things up,” he says. “That isn’t happening any longer. That’s a Super Bowl-caliber team now.”"
Another executive, this one from the AFC, also chimed in according to the report and claimed that should the core of the team stay healthy, 11 wins should be no problem.
So while so many are still enjoying their typical Cowboys bashing, why are other NFL teams starting to take notice? The answer is simple, despite the fact that owner Jerry Jones still holds the title of general manager, he no longer is the high stakes gambler shooting from the hip.
Instead Jerry now has taken a step back and has allowed his son, director of player personnel Stephen Jones and his assistant director of player personnel, Will McClay to have much more control of the franchise.
How much more control does the younger Jones have? One could argue he is the main shot-caller now in Big D, and the timing of the change can also be found.
Following the horrendous 2009 draft in which the Cowboys drafted 12 players who were all gone by 2013, a shift in philosophy has been easily seen. The flashy draft picks have been a thing of the past and the high profile free agents are also non-existent in this new era of Cowboys football.
Since that draft, the team has hit so much more, especially on first rounders. They have acquired receiver Dez Bryant, tackle Tyron Smith, corner Morris Claiborne (ok, that one wasn’t a great example) and center Travis Frederick. All these players are starters and still members of the Dallas Cowboys.
Perhaps no sign though was greater that Jerry took a step back than the fateful 2014 NFL Draft. During the first round there was so much buzz about Jerry Jones feelings for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, and of course he was on the board when Dallas was ready to pick.
The narrative goes that the elder Jones wanted Johnny Football more than anything, but his son practically ripped the draft card from his hand (of course that didn’t really happen because the Cowboys war room was in Dallas so they would never actually turn the card in themselves). Instead, Dallas took guard Zack Martin, who has only become a Pro-Bowl guard that started every game since joining the team.
Again this draft Stephen flexed his muscles as he vetoed his father’s attempt to trade too much for quarterback Paxton Lynch. Instead, Dallas stayed put and selected from their boards while grabbing linebacker Jaylon Smith and defensive tackle Maliek Collins with the picks Jerry tried to trade away.
Every now and then Dallas will pull out a Jerry move and sign someone like the PR nightmare Greg Hardy. However, even that was a low-risk move by the team and they washed their hands after one season.
Perhaps things really are changing in Dallas. If so, the fans can thank Stephen Jones for being the voice of reason that they have been begging for.
For more NFL news, check out our NFL news page hub!