Surprisingly, Jerry Jones hasn’t talked much this offseason, and it has been nice and weird.
Normally, we hear about how this season’s team is a Super Bowl contender several times now, but this offseason, crickets. It gives me a little bit of a strange feeling how quiet he has been.
And now we are back on track, kinda. Jerry Jones addressed the media at the start of Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California. He didn’t exactly say they were going to the Super Bowl this time, but there were heavy insinuations.
Jerry had this to say:
“I’d give up future to add substantive to where we are today as to a player, to give you an idea, about would I invest something substantive to get the right kind of deal to improve us on opening day. I would. I feel that good about this team this year.
He seemed to try to dance around a straight answer, classic Jerry, but the message was simple.
Jerry Jones would trade future assets to make this team better right now.
I didn’t feel like this was the same old talk about liking the roster which us Cowboys fans have heard enough while other teams made aggressive moves.
This sounded different.
Then he added:
I talked about a situation yesterday with another team and another owner.
By yesterday he meant Monday and I know these quotes are rough because Jerry Jones talks rough.
Afterward, Jerry said that yesterday’s conversation with the mystery owner isn’t in the process of going one way or another. Sounds like a pulse check for now.
If you take anything out of these quotes, just take this: He talked to another team’s owner about a player.
And that is where the guessing begins.
Maxx Crosby Is the Obvious Name
How many of you went straight to thinking about Maxx Crosby when you read those quotes? I know I did.
We all know Dallas has already been connected to him, and Jerry Jones has previously said the Cowboys didn’t walk away from that possibility.
Crosby isn’t just some depth move. Put him in this defense with Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezuiruaku and Christian Parker has edge rushers who can make a game difficult for offenses.
Don’t even get me started on the cost of this type of trade. It would be big, but Jerry would mortgage the future by sending multiple first-round picks, but some cap gymnastics would ensue.
Jerry Jones brought up spending the future, and a Crosby trade would show he meant every word of it.
And yes, I know the Raiders said they weren’t trading Crosby, but no one is ever really off the trade block.
Josh Sweat Might Be More Realistic
Josh Sweat might get the same reaction from the fan base, but he may be the easier deal for Jerry Jones to get finished. If Arizona listens, Dallas could add a proven pass rusher without setting the next two drafts on fire.
Sweat could bring some juice to the pass rush, and I would love to keep the group fresh by being able to rotate waves of rushers. Adding a player who has already produced in big games would be a great addition.
I don’t know if this trade would win a press conference, but it would be a smart move and he would help win games.
T.J. Watt Sounds Crazy, but It Could Work
I feel as though T.J. Watt is where this might start sounding like a Cowboys fan’s crazy wish.
Pittsburgh has said they are not trading him, Dallas can’t afford him, and would the Steelers help the Cowboys? We did get a deal done for George Pickens, so the working relationship is there.
I don’t get the sense that Alex Highsmith is going anywhere either” ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive
The salary could be the issue. So, I will reference the Von Miller trade from the Broncos to the Rams here.
Denver sent Miller to the Rams during the 2021 season, ate most of the remaining salary and got a second and third-round pick for their troubles. Los Angeles believed it was one elite pass rusher away from a Super Bowl.
And the Rams were right.
I think a Watt deal would need the same kind of work to get done. The Steelers would help with the money and the Cowboys would compensate with better draft picks.
This could be more of a late-season move the more I think about it, but either way, it’s a long shot. Jerry Jones would make it work.
Vita Vea Might Be the Meanest Option
Everybody wants edge rushers, myself included.
What if Vita Vea was in the middle of this defense?
Imagine for a second, Vea over the center, Quinnen Williams on one side, and Kenny Clark on the other. That is close to 1,000 pounds sitting across from an offensive line.
I guarantee someone is getting moved backwards, if not everyone.
Vea would feast on double teams, Williams and Kenny Clark would attack what’s left. Then stand-up edge rushers coming down hill. It’s a dream that would be a nightmare for offenses.
Maybe, just maybe, Jerry Jones isn’t talking about an edge rusher. It could be how football in Dallas is played in the trenches. It could be destroying offensive lines with the biggest defensive line in NFL history.
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