Late on Day 1 of the NFL's legal tampering period, the Dallas Cowboys were in the thick of it. No, we're not talking about the re-signing of Sam Williams (sigh).
In much bigger developments, the Cowboys were oh, so close to signing All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd away from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Then came a swing and a miss. Lloyd wound up agreeing to terms with the Carolina Panthers on a 3-year, $45 million contract.
One of Dallas' top targets chose to sign with a fellow NFC middle man, if you will, and Jerry Jones' incompetence has officially reared its ugly head once more.
What makes this hurt even more, you might ask?
The Cowboys were in on Lloyd until the final whistle. NFL Network's Jane Slater reported the Cowboys were still talking to Lloyd as of 7:30pm on Monday night. And then, just moments later, the news broke.
In an offseason where the Cowboys desperately needed to add playmakers on defense, Jones had one of the best at his fingertips, until he didn't.
Jerry Jones' inability to land Devin Lloyd shouldn't be the top Dallas Cowboys headline
To reiterate ... for now.
This is the top headline, for now ... or until Jones does something else completely inexplicable. So far, the Cowboys have given this fan base absolutely nothing to hang their hats on except for a handful of "oh that's such a Jerry Jones thing to do" moments.
Let's recap the early goings, for a moment, shall we?
Dallas traded for a Packers player that Green Bay was already planning to get rid of and whom their fan base had grown sick of (Rashan Gary).
They also signed a mid-level safety from the Cardinals (Jalen Thompson) who has given up an opposing passer rating of over 100.0 in three of the last four seasons and allows a career completion percentage of just a shade under 70 percent.
And, the Cowboys brought back a defensive lineman (Sam Williams) strictly based on the fact that they spent a second-round pick on him at one point and need to make sure this "works."
Hey, at least Jones is consistent. He's made all of his moves (or whiffs) on the defensive side of the ball.
If there is one small, almost invisible silver lining in all of this, it's the fact that Jones has keyed in on the defense. But, let's not give him too much credit. The first 24 hours or so, of free agency, have been downright pathetic.