Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones NFL Combine Highlights

Dallas Cowboys fans know that anytime reporters can get a microphone in front of owner and general manager Jerry Jones, they are bound to walk away with a few gems. Today at the NFL combine was no exception with Jerry holding court on his bus for a couple hours.

In a week where Cowboys Nation saw Dez Bryant take to twitter to express his emotions regarding ongoing contract negotiations – not to mention rumor-stoking from Pro Football Talks’ Mike Florio – Jerry’s candid comments certainly add some context as to where discussions stand and, more importantly, where they might be headed over the next couple of weeks. Here are some key nuggets gleaned from 103.5’s Jeff Cavanaugh, DallasCowboys.com’s David Helman and the Star Telegram’s Clarence Hill:

With the comments from Cowboys COO Stephen Jones regarding the possibility of a franchise tag for Dez clearly causing some frustration, Jerry’s comments emphasize their genuine desire to have Dez be a part of their squad for the long term. To have a sense of commitment from the organization seems to be incredibly important to Dez – let’s hope he can hear what they keep saying.

Cowboys fans are well aware of Dez’s history with off the field issues and comments about news that could break at any moment can cause anxiety in an instant. Jerry’s direct dismissal of the mere thought of these standing in the way of moving forward with talks about the future should leave fans breathing a sigh of relief. Jerry & Co. have stood by Dez through the years — including putting support systems in place — because they clearly recognized not only his talent but that he could also grow into a leader in the locker room. Committed? I’d say yes.

While February 16th kicked off the two-week period where teams can designate franchise or transition players, it’s not the real date that matters. Most people don’t pay attention to deadlines until they are staring them in the face. The period for designating franchise or transition players ends at 4 p.m. ET on March 2nd, so sometime next week is when we might want to start checking our watches.

This former is not a new development, Cowboys fans are well aware of these needs. But the news this week that that cornerback Morris Claiborne would not be back before training camp means they’ve got to try to shore up their secondary without necessarily relying on his services. Jerry’s response is pretty blunt. But what’s it mean? Will we see some shifts in strategy from head of personnel Will McClay and his team on how use their picks or approach free agency next month? It’s quite possible.

Wow. That’s a long time. Is it incredibly hopeful? Certainly. But with a solid offensive line and their shift to a more balanced offense, it’s not entirely out of the question. One can only wonder if Romo feels the same way.

Jones has consistently been pragmatic on this issue, saying that the team’s ability to keep both Dez and running back DeMarco Murray would come down to what would be possible on the business side. Could his language just be a slip? Perhaps, but it might just be indicative of which path they might be headed down.

What’s any of this mean? Probably nothing, but with a dearth of breaking news out of Valley Ranch, this might be the best we get. So let the speculation on what this means to the big picture commence.

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