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By Jon Machota 1h ago
MOBILE, Ala. — Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones spent three and a half hours on Tuesday sitting on the chilly metal bleachers inside Ladd-Peebles Stadium. He was joined by a small group that included his nephew Shy Anderson Jr., vice president of player personnel Will McClay and members of the team’s scouting staff.
Senior Bowl practices began on Tuesday, and they continue Wednesday and Thursday. One person noticeably missing from the group was Jerry Jones. The Cowboys owner and general manager was in Houston on Tuesday, presenting a lifetime achievement award in honor of his old friend and late Houston Texans owner Bob McNair.
The Senior Bowl is one of the first steps in transitioning from the end of the season to free agency and April’s NFL Draft. For the first time since the news conference introducing Mike McCarthy as the franchise’s next head coach on Jan. 8, Stephen Jones chatted with a small group of reporters for about 10 minutes after the first of two practices.
McCarthy and his coaching staff are not attending this year’s Senior Bowl. He felt that because they are still finalizing spots on the staff, the group would be better utilized back at The Star. They’ll get video of the Senior Bowl practice sessions and meet with the scouting staff to discuss the prospects in the near future.
McCarthy has already met with McClay, Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones to discuss the draft process. Future meetings with that group will be important for the former Green Bay Packers head coach. The expectation is that he will have more say in the players drafted than he did at his former job.
When asked recently about McCarthy becoming the Cowboys’ head coach, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he thought McCarthy’s next stop might involve “some GM opportunity as well.”
Jerry Jones will likely hold on to that official title for the rest of his life, but McCarthy’s opinion will weigh heavily on the team’s draft decisions. Jason Garrett and his coaching staff were significantly involved in the draft process. Defensive linemen Taco Charlton and Trysten Hill would not have been picked without input and endorsement from former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
Garrett, who is in Mobile this week to interview potential assistant coaching candidates for his New York Giants offensive staff, badly wanted to fix Dallas’ offensive line when he took over as head coach. Left tackle Tyron Smith was the first pick in Garrett’s first draft. First-round picks were later used on center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin over the next three years. All three became perennial Pro Bowlers. Garrett wanted Ezekiel Elliott when the Cowboys were picking between the Ohio State star and Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey with the fourth overall pick in 2016. Garrett often said “the runner matters,” referring to the importance of having an elite back running behind Dallas’ talented offensive line. This was evident when the team decided to go with a committee approach in 2015 that didn’t yield nearly the results it did the year before from DeMarco Murray, who ended up setting the franchise’s single-season rushing record before departing in free agency. Elliott then won the rushing title in his rookie year.
There is a perception that Jerry Jones does what he wants without considering the opinions of others. That hasn’t been the case when it comes to the draft — at least not recently. The best example was the Cowboys drafting Martin despite the owner and GM wanting Johnny Manziel, a selection that could have set the franchise back years.
“I think Mike said it best: One of the great things there is he just wants to take players that can make plays,” Stephen Jones said Tuesday. “And then we’ll scheme around those types of players. Get them the ball on the offensive side of the ball, and put great players in positions to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. We’ve already had some great visits between Will, Mike, myself, Jerry, and we’ll continue to obviously as we move forward. We’ll get everybody mixing and matching and having great conversations about what we want to be as a football team.”
The biggest areas of need are the defensive backfield and the defensive line. Right defensive end Robert Quinn and No. 1 cornerback Byron Jones are both unrestricted free agents. It seems unlikely that the Cowboys will be able to keep both their 2019 sack leader and their top defensive back. The defense was a disappointment last season with both playing well. How do they improve enough in one offseason to make a deep playoff run like the Joneses are expecting?
“Obviously we’ve got the core of our football team that we’ll take a long, hard look at,” Stephen Jones said. “And then as we start to look at the draft and who we’re going to re-sign and those type of things, then it’ll come together. But I do think being a multiple defense and being able to do a lot of things, as we’re starting to see around the league, can be problematic for the opposing teams’ coordinators and quarterbacks when they’re seeing different looks.
“I think to some degree we’ll evolve into that type of defense. We certainly want to give the other team difficulty, but at the same time, I think one of the things that we certainly got to continue to improve on is the ball, turning the ball over. Certainly that’s a goal for this staff, for Mike (McCarthy) and (defensive coordinator Mike Nolan). That’s a big part of it for them, and that certainly resonated well with Jerry and myself.”
One of the most interesting storylines as the draft nears is how the new staff values safety and defensive tackle. The Cowboys drafted Hill in the second round last year. They drafted Maliek Collins in the third round in 2016. But they haven’t selected a defensive tackle in the first round since Russell Maryland in 1991. Meanwhile, Dallas hasn’t drafted a safety in the first two rounds since Roy Williams was the eighth overall pick in 2002. They could address either position as early as No. 17 overall in April.
Some top prospects at those positions could line up perfectly with where the Cowboys are picking in the first round. Names to know at this point include South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw, LSU safety Grant Delpit and Alabama safety Xavier McKinney.
“We don’t ever say never on anybody,” Stephen Jones said. “Go look and see what great players are sitting there as we move through the draft, and certainly draft accordingly. [We’re] also a big believer if you need to move around to make some things happen better for you, then we’ll do that as well.”
Quinn and Byron Jones would be offseason priorities three and four, at best, for Dallas. The top two spots belong to re-signing Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. The Cowboys have plenty of salary-cap space to sign both. They can also use the franchise tag and transition tag, if needed. But the preference continues to be signing both long-term. Prescott will be the franchise quarterback going forward, and Dallas knows he’s a better player with Cooper on the field alongside him.
Stephen Jones doesn’t have plans to meet with agents representing either player while at the Senior Bowl but said, “If I happen to run into them, I’m more than happy to visit with them. I know them both well.”
Speaking with reporters on the red carpet in Houston on Tuesday night, Jerry Jones was asked about a quarterback market that will only continue to grow with big-money contracts likely on the horizon for Houston’s Deshaun Watson and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.
“It’s always been expensive for quarterbacks,” the Cowboys owner told the Houston Chronicle. “My first one was Troy Aikman, and I made him the highest-paid player in the NFL. So relatively speaking, those quarterbacks have always gotten right at the top.”
When asked if there has been any progress made in Prescott’s negotiations, Jerry Jones said, “We know what our future is there. We’ll keep our head down and keep working on that one.”
Stephen Jones often said last year that the Cowboys’ goal for 2019 was to take the next step. That meant getting beyond the divisional round of the playoffs. Dallas responded with one of its most disappointing seasons since the Joneses have owned the franchise.
But there’s no stepping back. The expectation for 2020 remains getting into the playoffs and making a run.
“Absolutely,” Stephen Jones said. “I think we have a good team that’s in its prime. We’ve got a good mixture of players. Part of the reason Jerry and I were really set on finding not only a coach with experience but a coach that had real success in the playoffs and played in big games, and that was very important that we find that guy, because we do believe this team can certainly have that type of success.”
MOBILE, Ala. — Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones spent three and a half hours on Tuesday sitting on the chilly metal bleachers inside Ladd-Peebles Stadium. He was joined by a small group that included his nephew Shy Anderson Jr., vice president of player personnel Will McClay and members of the team’s scouting staff.
Senior Bowl practices began on Tuesday, and they continue Wednesday and Thursday. One person noticeably missing from the group was Jerry Jones. The Cowboys owner and general manager was in Houston on Tuesday, presenting a lifetime achievement award in honor of his old friend and late Houston Texans owner Bob McNair.
The Senior Bowl is one of the first steps in transitioning from the end of the season to free agency and April’s NFL Draft. For the first time since the news conference introducing Mike McCarthy as the franchise’s next head coach on Jan. 8, Stephen Jones chatted with a small group of reporters for about 10 minutes after the first of two practices.
McCarthy and his coaching staff are not attending this year’s Senior Bowl. He felt that because they are still finalizing spots on the staff, the group would be better utilized back at The Star. They’ll get video of the Senior Bowl practice sessions and meet with the scouting staff to discuss the prospects in the near future.
McCarthy has already met with McClay, Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones to discuss the draft process. Future meetings with that group will be important for the former Green Bay Packers head coach. The expectation is that he will have more say in the players drafted than he did at his former job.
When asked recently about McCarthy becoming the Cowboys’ head coach, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he thought McCarthy’s next stop might involve “some GM opportunity as well.”
Jerry Jones will likely hold on to that official title for the rest of his life, but McCarthy’s opinion will weigh heavily on the team’s draft decisions. Jason Garrett and his coaching staff were significantly involved in the draft process. Defensive linemen Taco Charlton and Trysten Hill would not have been picked without input and endorsement from former defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
Garrett, who is in Mobile this week to interview potential assistant coaching candidates for his New York Giants offensive staff, badly wanted to fix Dallas’ offensive line when he took over as head coach. Left tackle Tyron Smith was the first pick in Garrett’s first draft. First-round picks were later used on center Travis Frederick and right guard Zack Martin over the next three years. All three became perennial Pro Bowlers. Garrett wanted Ezekiel Elliott when the Cowboys were picking between the Ohio State star and Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey with the fourth overall pick in 2016. Garrett often said “the runner matters,” referring to the importance of having an elite back running behind Dallas’ talented offensive line. This was evident when the team decided to go with a committee approach in 2015 that didn’t yield nearly the results it did the year before from DeMarco Murray, who ended up setting the franchise’s single-season rushing record before departing in free agency. Elliott then won the rushing title in his rookie year.
There is a perception that Jerry Jones does what he wants without considering the opinions of others. That hasn’t been the case when it comes to the draft — at least not recently. The best example was the Cowboys drafting Martin despite the owner and GM wanting Johnny Manziel, a selection that could have set the franchise back years.
“I think Mike said it best: One of the great things there is he just wants to take players that can make plays,” Stephen Jones said Tuesday. “And then we’ll scheme around those types of players. Get them the ball on the offensive side of the ball, and put great players in positions to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. We’ve already had some great visits between Will, Mike, myself, Jerry, and we’ll continue to obviously as we move forward. We’ll get everybody mixing and matching and having great conversations about what we want to be as a football team.”
The biggest areas of need are the defensive backfield and the defensive line. Right defensive end Robert Quinn and No. 1 cornerback Byron Jones are both unrestricted free agents. It seems unlikely that the Cowboys will be able to keep both their 2019 sack leader and their top defensive back. The defense was a disappointment last season with both playing well. How do they improve enough in one offseason to make a deep playoff run like the Joneses are expecting?
“Obviously we’ve got the core of our football team that we’ll take a long, hard look at,” Stephen Jones said. “And then as we start to look at the draft and who we’re going to re-sign and those type of things, then it’ll come together. But I do think being a multiple defense and being able to do a lot of things, as we’re starting to see around the league, can be problematic for the opposing teams’ coordinators and quarterbacks when they’re seeing different looks.
“I think to some degree we’ll evolve into that type of defense. We certainly want to give the other team difficulty, but at the same time, I think one of the things that we certainly got to continue to improve on is the ball, turning the ball over. Certainly that’s a goal for this staff, for Mike (McCarthy) and (defensive coordinator Mike Nolan). That’s a big part of it for them, and that certainly resonated well with Jerry and myself.”
One of the most interesting storylines as the draft nears is how the new staff values safety and defensive tackle. The Cowboys drafted Hill in the second round last year. They drafted Maliek Collins in the third round in 2016. But they haven’t selected a defensive tackle in the first round since Russell Maryland in 1991. Meanwhile, Dallas hasn’t drafted a safety in the first two rounds since Roy Williams was the eighth overall pick in 2002. They could address either position as early as No. 17 overall in April.
Some top prospects at those positions could line up perfectly with where the Cowboys are picking in the first round. Names to know at this point include South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw, LSU safety Grant Delpit and Alabama safety Xavier McKinney.
“We don’t ever say never on anybody,” Stephen Jones said. “Go look and see what great players are sitting there as we move through the draft, and certainly draft accordingly. [We’re] also a big believer if you need to move around to make some things happen better for you, then we’ll do that as well.”
Quinn and Byron Jones would be offseason priorities three and four, at best, for Dallas. The top two spots belong to re-signing Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. The Cowboys have plenty of salary-cap space to sign both. They can also use the franchise tag and transition tag, if needed. But the preference continues to be signing both long-term. Prescott will be the franchise quarterback going forward, and Dallas knows he’s a better player with Cooper on the field alongside him.
Stephen Jones doesn’t have plans to meet with agents representing either player while at the Senior Bowl but said, “If I happen to run into them, I’m more than happy to visit with them. I know them both well.”
Speaking with reporters on the red carpet in Houston on Tuesday night, Jerry Jones was asked about a quarterback market that will only continue to grow with big-money contracts likely on the horizon for Houston’s Deshaun Watson and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.
“It’s always been expensive for quarterbacks,” the Cowboys owner told the Houston Chronicle. “My first one was Troy Aikman, and I made him the highest-paid player in the NFL. So relatively speaking, those quarterbacks have always gotten right at the top.”
When asked if there has been any progress made in Prescott’s negotiations, Jerry Jones said, “We know what our future is there. We’ll keep our head down and keep working on that one.”
Stephen Jones often said last year that the Cowboys’ goal for 2019 was to take the next step. That meant getting beyond the divisional round of the playoffs. Dallas responded with one of its most disappointing seasons since the Joneses have owned the franchise.
But there’s no stepping back. The expectation for 2020 remains getting into the playoffs and making a run.
“Absolutely,” Stephen Jones said. “I think we have a good team that’s in its prime. We’ve got a good mixture of players. Part of the reason Jerry and I were really set on finding not only a coach with experience but a coach that had real success in the playoffs and played in big games, and that was very important that we find that guy, because we do believe this team can certainly have that type of success.”