Although there is truly never a dull moment supporting or covering the Dallas Cowboys, things have become fairly formulaic in recent years. But if America's Team wants to take things to another level, it is going to need a different approach, which may seem impossible for an aging Jerry Jones.
But this offseason, the Cowboys' owner and GM strayed from his typical methods. He and the front office still drafted well and financially took care of their homegrown talent, but Jones notably signed an external free agent, Jalen Thompson, to a lucrative multi-year deal, bucking a years-long trend.
He also let Brian Schottenheimer lead the search for his new defensive coordinator, and the decision to hire Christian Parker looks like a stroke of genius at this point. The vibe in the building is different, and Cowboys fans have been trying not to overreact or get their hopes up too much about it.
Dak Prescott has noticed the same thing, however, giving Dallas supporters a reason to believe that it actually will be.
Dak Prescott has high praise for Jerry Jones' approach to Cowboys' offense
In a recent sit-down interview with Jori Epstein of Yahoo! Sports, Prescott was asked about the Cowboys' widely celebrated offseason, in which they managed to return practically every key player from their elite offense and completely overhaul their league-worst defense. Prescott gave Jones a lot of credit.
"This is as urgent as I've ever felt Jerry," Prescott said. "Sure, there's times he's said it, and then we've looked up, and he hadn't done much in free agency. Or this, this and that.
But starting from free agency, they started doing things they hadn't done. And it's kudos to [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] and [vice president of player personnel] Will [McClay] and the whole team, but it's also Jerry making that decision of being aggressive and trying to go out and get what he wants. ... It definitely feels different."
It's not like Jones hasn't tried to make big moves before. Just in the last calendar year, he traded for George Pickens, Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark while also dealing Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Those are big-time decisions that moved the needle in Dallas.
For the first time in years, though, there is Super Bowl talk surrounding the Cowboys that feels both warranted and entirely genuine. Players and coaches aren't afraid to say that hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of the 2026 NFL season is an actual reality for this team.
"I don't think [Quinnen Williams has] broken down the team or spoke to the team without saying words of that, whether it be 'Super Bowl' or whether it be 'championship,'" Prescott said. "He said the other day: 'If you're not about that, get the [expletive] out of the huddle.'
Taking it to the Super Bowl favorite, the Los Angeles Rams, in joint practices was a good place to begin. But this all started with Jones' decision to be a bit more aggressive in tracking down players who can help the Cowboys win right now. Not next year or in the future, but in 2026.
Not to be morbid, but Jones isn't going to live forever. He'll turn 84 this football season, and he hasn't seen a championship in over 30 years. It's unclear what spurred this sudden jolt of aggression from Jones, but he is going for it this season. Dallas' owner is tired of sitting on his hands.
Fans have noticed this urgency all offseason, but it is vindicating and exciting that Prescott and the players are sensing the same thing.
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