An Important Position Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys Need to Fill
It costs to be the boss and Jerry Jones has paid that price, including tax. Love it or hate it, it’s a fact that Dallas Cowboy fans have to accept. Jerry Jones not only writes the checks, but he is also the Cowboys biggest fan. Jerry Jones has the power to give us what we want because sometimes it’s what he wants, even if it’s not what we need. Cowboy Nation still pleads and begs for Jerry Jones to hire a general manager, as if we have forgotten this is the same person that brought us high priced, “sexy” free agents like Deion Sanders, Ken Norton Jr, Terrell Owens, Charles Haley, Bill Parcells and more.
In his general manager role, Jerry Jones makes draft day trades to get players we covet like Morris Clairborne. Not all of his ideas or trades have struck gold, but few general managers in the NFL have a 100% success rate. Jones is going to be general manager and owner of the Dallas Cowboys for as long as he wants, so let’s shift our attention to an important position the Dallas Cowboys need to fill.
June 11, 2013; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks during a press conference after minicamp at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys need to hire a salary cap expert. It breaks my heart that the Dallas Cowboys are always releasing players due to salary cap reasons and get nothing in return. Players that have proven they could perform in this league have value, even if it’s a future seventh round pick. These draft picks could help us move up in the draft to select a player or add a player that provides depth and competition in training camp. When we have little cap room to work with, teams can wait for us to release a player instead of offering us trade value. We simply put ourselves in a position to have little negotiating leverage with other teams.
A salary cap expert will eliminate our worries when players need to be resigned. Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, Dwight Harris, Tyron Smith are all scheduled to be free agents in 2015. We have made an investment in these players. It would be an shame if any of these talented players were released simply because the Cowboys had limited cap room.
Our salary cap expert needs a long term outlook and an impartial opinion of our players. They have to evaluate players on their performance and salaries. That evaluation will probably involve some mathematical formula that would baffle an astrophysicist. It would keep us from overvaluing our players and keeping them past their expiration date due to an emotional attachment.
If we had a salary cap expert, we would have probably traded Anthony Spencer instead of using the franchise tag. Spencer would have been replaced with a first or second round draft pick. The Doug Free debacle would not have been a story this off-season either. The contracts of Miles Austin and Jay Ratliff would’ve been renegotiated when their on the field performance declined due to either age or injury.
Other teams release players based on declining performance and injuries. The Indianapolis Colts released Peyton Manning, the Pittsburgh Steelers released Jerome Harrison and the Atlanta Falcons released Michael Turner. Those were business decisions and as a franchise, you have to know a player’s worth. This may mean releasing a player, even if they are a fan favorite. Tough decisions have to made and a salary cap expert would provide that.
We may not obtain a new general manager. I like Jerry Jones as owner and general manager. I believe he really wants to win. We haven’t had a major contract dispute since Emmitt Smith held out. We have a stadium that the league envies and a world class mentality that trickles down to our cheerleaders.
I don’t believe Jones strikes fear in his players though. Having players know that their salaries and contracts are under constant evaluation by an salary cap expert could bring out their best performances. They would be playing as if every year is a contract year because it really would be. If Jerry Jones really wants things to be uncomfortable around Valley Ranch, hiring a salary cap expert would do it.