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NFL Rumors: Cowboys have someone pulling strings that isn’t named Jerry Jones

Turns out, Jerry Jones isn’t the manipulative puppeteer of the Dallas Cowboys franchise. Will McClay is.

According to SB Nation’s Tom Ryle, McClay has served as the mastermind in the Cowboys’ front office ever since he joined the franchise as a scout in 2003. McClay climbed the ladder from scout to scouting coordinator to director of football research to, finally, his current position, the vice president of player personnel.

With 20 years of experience in Dallas, McClay started overseeing the draft process in 2014, and he along with his scouting staff have plucked plenty of gems from the mines: DeMarcus Lawrence, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, to name a few.

McClay, who was extended in 2022, has seemingly made a long-lasting positive impact on the franchise, though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where his fingerprints are located. Ryle points out in recent years McClay has worked his way up to become an advisor to Jones along with his son Stephen and head coach Mike McCarthy, earning the franchise’s trust to identify hidden talent and make important roster decisions.

But hey, for all we know, McClay is just another one of Jerry Jones’ a.k.a Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes.