It appears Jerry Jones is a bit confused. First he goes 'all in' during free agency, but makes no major additions. And now he’s advising the Dallas Cowboys rely on the youthful depth to fill in for the injuries.
That’s typically what teams rebuilding say. But Jones said, this isn’t a “soft rebuild” according to Cowboys beat writer, Jon Machota.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was very clear that the franchise is not in a soft rebuild. But they do want to lean on youth to replace their injured players. So don’t expect any notable moves being made to replace the injuries at defensive end.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 8, 2024
“The (only) positive of losing a… pic.twitter.com/VkrMWVoAfV
So what is it Jerry? Is it a rebuild or season with championship hopes? Because right now, it looks like Jones isn't quite sure what he wants out of this season. This season was supposed to be about avenging last year’s embarrassment in the postseason.
Jerry Jones doesn't know what the Cowboys need
Instead, the lack of movement suggest the Cowboys are simply content with mediocrity and have no plans on making the team better. They’d rather let the younger, inexperienced players determine if they’ll even have a playoff spot in January.
Not making a trade move right now just doesn’t make sense. We’ve already looked at a few free agents the Cowboys faltered on, which could have alleviated some of the current pressure. So to not make any in-season additions to put your team in a better position to win is baffling.
The Cowboys need a running game. Sure Rico Dowdle put together the best performance of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, rushing for 87 yards. But he hasn’t had a 100-yard game yet and it’s still up for debate if he will be a consistent threat.
Dallas had a chance to add a perennial All-Pro running back who’s now leading the NFL in rushing yards (Derrick Henry) and could have found a way to either bring back Tony Pollard or find a better replacement for him.
I have no problem investing in the youth to take a cheaper approach to finding the players that will help you win. It’s working with Houston and it’s seemingly working with the Cowboys division rival, Washington, so far.
Jerry Jones is standing in the way of the Dallas Cowboys long-awaited championship
It needs to be said that Jones might be the barrier holding back the Cowboys’ long-term success. No owner is in front of the storylines like Jones is. And it might be the reason the team can’t put together a postseason worthy of a championship.
Jones is always the first one to say something when things go well and when they don’t. And lately what he’s been saying is contradicting and simply not making any sense. Winning in the regular season means nothing when you can’t achieve those same results in the playoffs.
And thinking nothing needs to change after coming up short is naive. Jones has been around long enough and seen the Cowboys win championships to know that something has to change. Sure there’s been roster turnover and staff turnover, but the man at the top has remained in place.
This season is showing that Dallas needs to change direction, and that starts at the top. Teams like Kansas City are allowed to have quiet offseasons because even with injuries and such, they've built enough depth to overcome it. Dallas doesn’t have that luxury.
It’s time for Jones to see that and get out of the way. Or, Dallas fans will be pleading for it to be their year for eternity.