Why the Dallas Cowboys are set for the long haul
By Tyler Harris
Jerry Jones gave fans a glimpse inside the organization during his Hall of Fame speech and the future of the Dallas Cowboys is very bright.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions were this past weekend. It was a time that showed Dallas Cowboys fans a glimpse inside how this organization operates on a day-to-day basis.
If what I witnessed was any indication of the future, I believe the Cowboys are set up for the long-haul.
Of course everybody witnessed owner and general manager Jerry Jones enshrinement in Canton, Ohio. Those that paid closer attention will notice the small village behind Jones that helped him reach football immortality.
Behind the scenes there are many very important and very smart people that help this great organization every single day. People such as Stephen Jones, Jerry Jones Jr, Will McClay, and Charlotte Jones Anderson.
The extraordinary people at the top all have great people below them helping on a daily basis as well.
During Jerry’s speech Saturday night he gave many accolades to many of those mentioned above. The two people that stick out very strongly in my opinion are Stephen Jones and Will McClay.
Stephen has a brain for professional football, as he should as he has basically grown up being involved with the NFL every day. McClay is his right hand man and the two are a dynamite team and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to player personnel and salary cap matters.
Jerry had briefly touched on a confrontation he had with Stephen about negotiating Deion Sanders contract in free agency of 1994. This further backs up my assumption that the Cowboys are going to be in great shape going forward.
Jerry has learned to delegate to his trusted advisers. Stephen and McClay are at the top of that list.
If you look back over the past five years you can get an idea of what the team may look like long term under this front office structure.
Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Maliek Collins, Ezekiel Elliott, Anthony Brown, Terrence Williams, and Dak Prescott have all been drafted during that time.
In addition to the solid drafting, Stephen was able to turn a tarnished salary cap into a operating account with no limitations. Team friendly deals have been signed by Smith, Bryant, and Frederick. Martin should be the next to sign a team friendly deal this summer.
Players don’t just sign these type of deals if the executives aren’t good at what they do. These young players know this team is on the verge of something special.
With the core of the team being in their early 20’s there is plenty of reason to be optimistic. The roster has been churned from an aging, overpaid bunch to a young squad working mainly on rookie deals.
The sky is the limit when you have that kind of structure!
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Mr. Jones has surrounded himself – and his team – with some of the very best in the business. On the night he was enshrined into the most elite club in professional football, he reminded all of us that the future is very bright as well.
It’s a great time to be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.