Dallas Cowboys: 3 sides to the Byron Jones story

The Cowboys as a franchise

From a franchise perspective, it seems counter-intuitive to let what some people have considered an elite player walk. In fact though, that’s just it.

When it comes to elite players, they expect to be paid like elite players and rightfully so. However, when the production doesn’t match the label being placed on the player, there often lies the issue.

Jones is explicitly in this category of one of those players that have been given the elite label, but his production doesn’t match. Plain and simple, you need your top dollar defensive guys to make game-changing plays, which are big sacks for rushers, big stops for linebackers and run-stuffing linemen, and deflections or interceptions from your defensive backs.

As if you need reminding, Jones has just two picks across his entire five-year career and none across the last two seasons. Some people will say, “because they don’t throw at him”, but that sounds like a bit of an excuse.

If the Dallas Cowboys want to go the next level, as far as getting back to a place to compete for Super Bowls, they need to not only use that money to get a guy who can make plays, but use that spot, the time, and the developmental effort on a guy who can do so en route to helping them win their next title. Byron Jones has not proved to be that guy in the last five years with the Cowboys and it’s time for them to cut bait.