There’s a method to the madness of Jerry Jones, specifically when it comes to Dallas Cowboys free agency. In past years, the Cowboys have been known for not taking on any new players via trades and free agents. An interview with a local radio station sheds some light on why that’s the case.
Dallas Cowboys Free Agency Expected to Be Very Quiet Per Jerry Jones
Cowboys Free Agency for 2025
According to Jerry Jones, the Cowboys strategy for the New Year will be similar to the last. In an interview with a Dallas local radio station on December 31, 2024, Jones was asked why the administration tends to neglect major changes for the team. Jones responded by saying:
“I think we can have major change as far as the team is concerned with many of the people we were counting on that didn’t play this year because of injury. I think we’re going to have a good chance to do some of the things that we wanted to do with our schemes that we didn’t get accomplished this year. Those types of things will be major changes.”
Jones is saying that the “major changes” that fans can expect will come from players who didn’t get time on the field. The Cowboys roster was devastated with injuries from the start of the season. Defensively, both DaRon Bland and Sam Williams suffered injuries before the season began. During the season, Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Zack Martin, and others faced the injury plague. Even now, to end the season, the Cowboys have 14 players still on injured reserve.
Utilizing the Draft and the Undrafted
The Cowboys primarily rely on the NFL Draft to add talent to the roster. Since Cowboys free agency tends to be quiet, they have to get their talent from somewhere. For the most part, this has worked out well. They’ve hit the jackpot with players like Parsons and Lamb as far as cornerstones for the team in the future.
But the Cowboys have also had a sensational knack for picking USFL and undrafted players too. Rico Dowdle, who has had an exceptional season, came as an undrafted player. So did kick-returning sensation KaVontae Turpin, who started his career in the USFL. So did kicker Brandon Aubrey, who has continued to be a spectacular and necessary addition to the team.
The Cowboys have some comfort in free agency, but it usually comes from familiar faces. Hence the addition, and recent removal, of Ezekiel Elliott. Because Elliott had been with the Cowboys previously, they felt comfortable in re-signing him to the roster. The same is true with players picked up during the season, like Carlos Watkins and Will Grier. Both spent time with the Cowboys in the past, which made bringing them back an easy decision.
More than anything, Jerry Jones is avoiding bringing in fresh talent for a very specific reason.
Cowboys Free Agency Will Stay Quiet
In the past few years specifically, the Cowboys free agency scene has been very quiet. Most of this is because Jones and the administration knew who their cornerstone guys were. They realized that Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons were all players they would build everything else around. Because of that, additional pieces could take away from opportunities to keep those players.
That doesn’t excuse letting players like Derrick Henry slide through the Cowboys fingers. But at least there’s a mostly logical reason for the silence. After trading for Jonathan Mingo, the Cowboys still have six draft picks. That’s not including the compensatory draft picks, which the Cowboys are likely to get the full four. There will be plenty of flexibility on what they can add to their team, even in a not-so-active free agency cycle.
Main Photo: Peter Casey – USA Today Sports
The post Cowboys Free Agency: Anticipate the Silence According to This Jerry Jones Statement appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.