The Dallas Cowboys have one of the worst front offices in the NFL. That says a lot being the team is largely relevant on a year-to-year basis and excels at drafting. But they are also what is holding the team back from winning at a higher level.
We don't have to get into the nitty gritty, but Jerry and Stephen Jones are years - maybe decades - behind the rest of the league in terms of navigating the salary cap. They believe that handing out premium contracts to superstars handicaps their ability to spend money elsewhere.
There are countless teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, who spend like drunken sailors, whether it be in free agency or internally, despite already having multiple lofty contracts on the payroll.
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To say nothing of Jerry Jones having final say on personnel decisions. Jones' affinity for Ezekiel Elliott is the reason it took until November for Dallas to commit to Rico Dowdle as their lead running back.
Even though the Cowboys' front office oozes dysfunction on a regular basis, Jones is not the worst owner the league has to offer. That title belongs to the Jets' Woody Johnson, who reportedly nixed an offseason trade for the most illogical reason possible.
Jets' Woody Johnson proves Cowboys' Jerry Jones isn't the NFL's most inept owner
According to The Athletic (subscription required), Johnson scrubbed a trade for then-Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy because his 'Madden' rating was too low. Then-Jets general manager Joe Douglas had a trade lined up with Denver until Johnson intervened.
"Douglas told the Broncos that Johnson didn’t want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating in 'Madden NFL,' the popular video game, wasn’t high enough, according to multiple league sources. The Broncos ultimately traded the receiver to the Cleveland Browns."
Allowing Madden ratings to dictate personnel decisions is as inept as it gets. Trading for Amari Cooper and trading round-round picks for Trey Lance and Jonathan Mingo are some of the worst decisions any team has made in recent memory, but Jones has never stooped to Johnson's level.
It's unclear what Jeudy would have cost the Jets in terms of draft capital, but the former first-round pick has been a revelation this season for the Browns.
Entering Week 16, only Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown have more receiving yards than Jeudy. He's also second among qualified receivers with 15.0 yards per catch and a 12.5 average depth of target, per PFF (subscription required).
Since the Jets turned over the franchise to Aaron Rodgers, they wound up trading for Davante Adams mid-season. While Adams has been good, he could leave in the offseason if Rodgers isn't brought back. A duo of Jeudy, 25, and Garrett Wilson, 24, would give NY one of the best young receiving cores in football.
The Cowboys would still be better off if Jones stepped down as general manager. He has some maddening qualities that are holding Dallas back, but Cowboys fans should be counting their blessings that Woody Johnson isn't pulling the strings.
This Jeudy story is almost too absurd to be real.