Back in 2019, when Jerry Jones thought it was more important to lock up his running back than his quarterback, the Cowboys signed Zeke Elliott to a six-year, $90 million extension. Only two running backs – Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey – make more than that per annum now, which should tell you to try out for another position.
Jerry got Javonte Williams for not even a third as much overall, and he’s better at 26 than Zeke was at the same stage of his career.
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Williams became a priority because his power and burst reminded Jerry of what good running backs once looked like, back when Zeke was at his best.
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Bringing back Williams was a no-brainer then, right?
Before giving Jerry too much credit or buying into his suspicious assertion that he’s learned his lesson, let’s reserve judgment until the rest of this most important of offseasons plays out.
For instance, how will George Pickens react to the franchise tag if they can’t come to a long-term deal this summer?
How much will it take to bring back Jadeveon Clowney, and is he worth it at his age?
Would Brandon Aubrey be the Cowboys’ best player, dollar for dollar, at any price?
How many free-agent starters can Jerry sign before the draft?
Probably not a coincidence that Jerry signed Williams first when there were bigger fish to fry. He did the same with Zeke in 2019 when he should have made Dak Prescott his top priority. Not only did he end up overpaying Zeke, he kicked the can of Dak’s contract down the road, ultimately making him the NFL’s highest-paid player when he could have had him cheaper if only he’d done it sooner.
Securing the services of the No. 2 receiver is nowhere near as important as getting the quarterback done, but it remains problematic in Pickens’ case, to say the least.
Yours truly is on record that Pickens is probably the most talented receiver they’ve ever had. Not the best, but the most talented. Big, fast, good hands, great body control, runs a good route. Unfortunately, more goes into the position than skill and size, as Michael Irvin will tell you.
Like, will Pickens at least act like he’s playing hard when the ball isn’t coming his way?
And will he show up at all if he doesn’t get the deal he wants?
The consensus is the Cowboys will use the franchise tag, meaning he’d make $28 million this fall if they don’t sign him long-term. Giving him one more season to prove himself seems the right thing to do, but not if he ends up sitting.
The Cowboys don’t appear to have the slightest idea what Pickens might do, leaving them in a precarious position with a key player, as usual.
Their best edge rusher last year turned out to be a 32-year-old guy who didn’t get here until a quarter of the way through the season. That’s how bad the pass rush was. Clowney hasn’t worked out like he should have for a guy who hit the NFL as the first pick of the 2014 draft, and that’s reflected in the numbers. His 8.5 sacks in 13 games last season represent his best numbers in years. Maybe ever.
Just the same, 4.5 of those sacks came in his last two games, which a cynic might construe as a guy playing for his next contract.
DeMarcus Lawrence left the Cowboys for a three-year, $32 million contract with the Seahawks. Paid off handsomely for both sides. Will Clowney, who made $3.4 million last year, want the same? Frankly, I’d rather have Lawrence, who was severely underrated by the locals. Problem is, the Cowboys are sorely lacking in edge rushers, and they’re not likely to be in a position to make a run at the draft’s best (Arvell Reese, David Bailey and Rueben Bain).
Aubrey also is due a pretty fair increase after making a bit under $900,000 last year. Harrison Butker, who might have been the only kicker better, is getting $6.4 million a year.
Will Aubrey want something in the neighborhood?
Pay the man.
Besides taking care of his top four free agents, Jerry has to fix his defense, and he can’t do it in the draft alone. Going into next season, his top eight offensive players were going to eat up roughly 67% of the cap even before new deals for Williams and Pickens. He can free up as much as $70 million by restructuring deals and cutting Terence Steele.
He needs to sign at least one safety (Reed Blankenship) and acquire a corner (Trent McDuffie). He could use a linebacker (Nakobe Dean) even if he ends up drafting Sonny Styles, as he should.
Bottom line: Signing Williams to a reasonable deal was a good start, but Jerry’s got a long way to go in one of the most pressing offseasons of his tumultuous tenure. His quarterback just put up maybe the best season of his career, and all it got them was seven wins. I don’t know how many of these Dak has left in him at 33, but it seems like now ought to be a good time to go all-in.
Jerry must somehow figure out how to spread the love to a defense in desperate need of it. He’s got to do it while paying Williams and Pickens and Aubrey, none of whom plays a lick of defense. Seems like a big job to me. After all these years, there’s not much to suggest Jerry’s the man for it.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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