- 4 weeks ago
Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones discusses potential trades and free agent additions with the K&C Masterpiece.
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00:00K&C Masterpiece back here on 105.3 The Fan right now on the Wild Fork Hot Seat, your number
00:07one go-to for meat and seafood.
00:09We bring to you Dallas Cowboys COO, co-owner. It is Stephen Jones. Good morning slash afternoon, sir.
00:17Good morning. Good afternoon. Couldn't be a better place to be than Oxnard.
00:22And what an amazing day and amazing temperatures. I hate it for our crew back where we're all from.
00:30Our Dallas people that are there, because I know it's hot, but great being here.
00:34Well, I know we're early in camp, but one of the things that George Pickens already said was the new
00:40and improved defense.
00:42And he talks about he likes the new look, the new, maybe the scheme, but just kind of echoed Shottie's
00:48iron sharpens iron.
00:49I know it's way early, but do you like the newness of the coaches, the players, and everything you see
00:55out there defensively?
00:57Absolutely. And that should be the thing. We're two days into this thing, which is early, early, early.
01:04You better have your legs.
01:05Nothing in pads, nothing in the way you really ultimately play the game.
01:10So everything is early. But I must say, and, you know, I've spent a lot of my time sitting in
01:15the defensive meeting rooms this camp in terms of really wanting to get a feel for Christian and his staff
01:22and how they interact and how they communicate and expectations amongst our players.
01:27So it's been really interesting. And, you know, like we said, it's early, but I do like what we're doing
01:35there.
01:35I do think it's creating from talking to Coach Schottenheimer, talking to Dak a little bit.
01:41But it's creating challenges for this offense. And obviously, our offense is, you know, coming off a great year.
01:49It's got everything back. And I actually think, you know, there's a few pieces that could come to fruition in
01:58terms of guys like a Jaden Blue who can, you know,
02:01really add something in terms of, you know, the dimension as to why we drafted him, his great juice and
02:07speed.
02:08And so I really obviously the expectations for the offense are high, but for them to be commenting that it's
02:16a challenge for them.
02:18And, you know, they had success pretty much against anybody they went against last year.
02:23And I think, you know, they're a great, in my mind, a great group, whether it's Coach Schottenheimer or the
02:31offensive guys themselves,
02:33as you mentioned, George Pickens, Dak Prescott, you know, who are finding it challenging, you know,
02:40when they go up against these guys on defense. And like I said, the interactions in the defensive room have
02:46been good.
02:47It's not perfect. We've got a long ways to go. We've got a lot of work to do, a lot
02:51of wood to chop.
02:53We've got a lot of things before we see, you know, what our finished product is going to look like.
02:58And I'm sure that product will evolve over the course of the year as well.
03:02I mean, we're far from done. I think I mentioned it early.
03:05We're always looking for ways to be better. You know, whether that opportunity presents itself, we'll see.
03:14But we're always looking to be better.
03:16Last year, it seemed like there was a difficult way to get your foothold in defensive leadership.
03:23And at one point, Kevin and I asked Jerry during one of our weeklies with him.
03:27We do the weekly with you also on Mondays.
03:30Which is why I'm amazed you agreed to do this interview.
03:32It's a Friday.
03:34And Jerry said, he said, Dak.
03:36And I understand why he said that. Dak encompasses the whole team.
03:39But we couldn't, we had a hard time, too, trying to find out who that guy was.
03:43Well, right now, you saw the leadership council, and we can point to all those guys and go, yeah, we
03:48see why.
03:48How important was identifying dudes y'all thought could be leaders to add to this team this offseason?
03:55Yeah, I think a lot of times greatness goes hand in hand, not only with skill, with talent, with, you
04:02know, being a great physical player.
04:05I think it also involves leadership.
04:08And to me, to be a leader, Michael Irvin used to always say this, to be a leader, you've got
04:13to be a great player, too.
04:14I mean, you can't be a great leader and be over there on the sideline, you know, cheering them on.
04:20That's a coach's job.
04:21But to be a leader on the field, you've got to be not only, you know, have those substantive qualities,
04:28but you also, you know, got to be a dog on the field.
04:34And I think that's what we are looking for.
04:38You know, that was the identity of some of the great teams is you had those guys who were not
04:43only dogs on the field,
04:44but they were leaders.
04:45And, you know, then you can stand up and you can ask people to, you know, do things.
04:52If you're doing it and doing it at a high level, then you can require others to do it.
04:57And certainly, whether it's Quintum Williams, whether it's Rashawn Gary, whether it's Kenny Clark,
05:03you know, those are the things, you know, that we're looking for on the defensive side of the ball.
05:07There's another person I wanted to ask about kind of in that vein is how important then is it to
05:13keep DeMarvion overshone on the field?
05:15Because he is somebody who looks like they have some of those traits that could potentially mean leader.
05:22No doubt.
05:23I mean, he's got to stay healthy.
05:24He knows it.
05:25You know, we've had great players through here who battled that, who have been leaders, who have been great players.
05:31Sean Lee comes to mind.
05:33He had, you know, he had to battle, you know, staying on the field at times.
05:38I think certainly Overshone understands, you know, if he's really going to reach the potential he wants to,
05:45which is be a great player.
05:47And then all the good things that come with being a great player, i.e. the contract, et cetera,
05:53then you've got to stay on the football field.
05:55And he knows that.
05:56And he's been unfortunate in terms of a few of the injuries that he's had.
06:02But I have a lot of faith that he's going to stay on that field.
06:06And I'm with you.
06:07I think once he's on that field, he'll be right there in the same breath as the guys we're talking
06:12about.
06:13Because he's an outstanding individual who does everything the right way.
06:18And certainly, you know, he deserves some good fortune in terms of, you know, his injuries and, you know,
06:26the things that have kind of held him back a little bit.
06:28I see him overcoming that this year and being something special for us.
06:32But there's no, like, quick answer on him this year, though.
06:35So, I think in my opinion, and, like, I can't just say I saw a good training camp or I
06:40saw a good three games.
06:41I feel like I have to see a full season or I have to see the consistency, longevity.
06:47I know the flash is there.
06:48Right.
06:49But I feel like, am I wrong about that on there's just no quick answer?
06:52I don't think there is a quick answer.
06:54I think he's going to evolve into it.
06:55I think those things, you know, on a football team are earned over time.
07:00It evolves.
07:00And certainly your track record and your history are what play into that.
07:07I mean, obviously, we've got, you know, when you talk about guys who've got the, you know,
07:12it's all out there for them to be, you know, one of those dogs on the field and leaders off
07:18is a Caleb Downs.
07:19But that's got to evolve.
07:20You don't just step in and get anointed.
07:23Now, you know, everybody's wanting to with him, and he's doing it so far.
07:27He doesn't show any signs of guilty.
07:29Yeah, because he's a special young man, and that's why we picked him where we picked him,
07:35and we were so excited to get him there.
07:37You know, he's got all the traits.
07:39He's got all the things you look for, you know, to be another one of those guys that can step
07:44up.
07:45And that's why, you know, there's a lot of excitement on the defensive side.
07:49Do we have the finished product yet?
07:51Of course not.
07:52I mean, we've got a lot of wood to chop, a lot of work to do.
07:55Christian will be the first to tell you that.
07:58But we've just got to keep going to work every day, and I think good things are going to happen
08:02for those men over there.
08:03Talk with Stephen Jones right here on 105 Through the Fan.
08:06And the finished product could look different for a whole lot of reasons.
08:09I was kind of thinking about Tuesday and the fallout from the presser.
08:13What do you think it is that fans and media, consistent interest in players who aren't on the team,
08:21but, like, could be, as opposed to strictly focusing on the players who are actually here?
08:25I think that's the great thing about anything, you know, professional sports is, you know,
08:31is ultimately what will the finished product look like.
08:34And it doesn't matter whether it's basketball, whether it's hockey, whether it's baseball.
08:39You know, everybody's always striving to get the, you know,
08:43especially if you're fortunate enough to get to that level where you have a lot of the pieces,
08:49but you might be missing a piece, which is usually the case, you know, with a lot of teams.
08:53You can always use that, you know, last one or two pieces that put you over the top.
09:01And certainly we're always looking for that.
09:04You know, we're constantly looking for ways to be better.
09:08You know, I've always said it, player acquisitions, 365 days a year.
09:14We need to always be looking for something that makes sense to make the Dallas Cowboys a better football team
09:22and give us the opportunity to contend and ultimately win a championship.
09:28I mean, that's every team's goal.
09:29It's certainly our goal.
09:30We certainly know our fans are looking for that.
09:33It's been way too long.
09:35And we do think, you know, as you mentioned, the offense, you know, has checked a lot of boxes
09:41in terms of being there, and defensively, we don't know that we've checked all the boxes,
09:46but we constantly look to check another box.
09:49Well, I'm really glad that you said it like that, because when I see Dr. Daniel Cooper,
09:54who I know is part of the Cowboys, but was also part of the evaluation of a player
10:00who did not get traded to the Ravens last year, I start to connect dots and wonder,
10:05was that part of a conversation yesterday?
10:08Yeah, we're always looking at things.
10:09I mean, that's just part of it.
10:11And, you know, we don't need to be talking, putting names.
10:14I was very vague on that, specifically.
10:17You did better than the reporter the other day.
10:20Oh, I heard.
10:21I like Jane, but she's trying to get us in trouble, I think.
10:25We love Jane, too.
10:26Yeah, yeah.
10:28But anyway, no, I think, you know, we're always looking at situations.
10:34And, you know, I think, you know, we've got several things that we're considering right now.
10:39Some of it trade, some of it, you know, signing guys, because a lot of these older players
10:45who've got to still got some tread on the tire can come in here and help you help you.
10:52And so, you know, it may come in the form of a trade.
10:55It may come in the form of a, you know, a veteran signing as you move into camp, because
11:00a lot of these veteran players a lot of times don't like to go to the first part of training
11:05camp.
11:05It's not tampering if that player is not under contract, right?
11:09No, it's not.
11:10Okay, so if I said, man, I sure do think Bobby Wagner has a lot of tread left on the
11:15tires.
11:16Yeah.
11:16What would you think about that?
11:17I mean, obviously, Bobby Wagner's a great player.
11:20There's several others out there who hadn't signed that, you know, have a great, you know,
11:25have a great resume.
11:27And, you know, there are always guys that we're looking, you know, and see how they fit.
11:32But we're getting a better feel from a personnel standpoint, Will is, his staff, in terms of
11:39the traits we want that can step in and really make a difference in Christian Parker and his
11:46staff system.
11:47So those are all things that will continue to look to be better.
11:52You know, I'd be surprised if the, you know, if the starting players on this defense, you
11:59know, don't change over time.
12:02And we're always looking to be better.
12:05We'll continue to monitor this.
12:08You started off the show by saying, we're two days into this thing and in Grays, that's
12:15not the way you play football.
12:16Right, right, right.
12:17So we've got a lot of things to look at.
12:20And, you know, I've got my fingers crossed.
12:22Will does.
12:23We've got some young guys showing up out there.
12:25I know Barham's really starting to show some guys some things.
12:29Lawrence, I know we talked about Downs.
12:32You know, there's some guys who are already, you know, showing little, little, little glimpses.
12:38Lawrence's setting the edge, man.
12:39I like it.
12:40So he's, there's a lot of things to like out there, but we've got a lot of things to see.
12:46And then, you know, as I said, we'll constantly be looking to see, you know, if there's an addition
12:51or two that as we move forward that we can make happen.
12:55I guess that kind of goes in this conversation.
12:58Did you enjoy having Clowney last year?
13:00And did you also enjoy, did you like having him that late after, into training camp, after
13:06training camp?
13:07I mean, part of that's just the business.
13:09It's the business.
13:10That's the way those guys want to do their business.
13:12They're obviously not making the money they made in their prime.
13:15But they still, as we saw with Clowney last year, did a hell of a job for us.
13:20Yeah.
13:20And did I enjoy having him?
13:21Hell yeah, I enjoyed having him.
13:22I thought he was a pro.
13:25I thought he did things the right way.
13:26I think, you know, he came to work every day and did his job.
13:30And, you know, he's a guy now, you know, Clowney may fit in one system and not in another.
13:37Wagner may fit in one system and not another.
13:39I mean, those are all things that you got to, you know, you got to sit in there with Christian.
13:44You got to sit in there with our linebacking crew and look at the tape and say, hey, is this
13:48guy going to fit when we start asking him to do this, this, and this?
13:53And you got to get your hands around it.
13:55And you got to, you know, we got to produce the tape from a personnel standpoint to the
13:59coaches that say, yeah, we think he can do this.
14:01And here's examples where he's done it at a high level.
14:05Here's what else he brings.
14:06And those are the things that we go through when we're looking at a, you know, a player
14:11like we did last year with Clowney.
14:12I love hearing that, listening to those coaches and making sure y'all can figure that out
14:16together.
14:17You said pros, pro.
14:19Yesterday, your two wide receivers, your two top dogs, they look like pros, pros, pros out
14:25there.
14:26They were doing work and they, like, everything about it looks like every step of the way.
14:30They don't understand what they're supposed to be doing.
14:32And that credit to CeeDee Lamb for we've seen him the entire time, but also that credit
14:37to Pickens.
14:38And I know what he's trying to accomplish this season.
14:40But can you kind of talk about that pros, pro mentality from those two guys?
14:45Well, I think any time you're looking at one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and two
14:49outstanding dogs in terms of being the best at what they do, receivers, it can also make
14:55you feel inadequate again on defense.
14:57They say, can we really get better?
15:00I get that.
15:01Because you are going against the best of the best.
15:03And, you know, as I said, I've been back in.
15:06And Dak's locked in.
15:07And he's got one thing on his mind.
15:10And, you know, those are the things that, you know, you've got to look at.
15:14And certainly Christian points that out when we're, you know, when we're watching film
15:18and practice.
15:20And you see George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb making plays.
15:24You go, I've seen this.
15:26Yeah.
15:26I've seen this before.
15:27And he does it against the best.
15:29They do it against the best corners in this league.
15:32And certainly we understand that.
15:35But it's certainly great to go against the best.
15:37And as we said, as Shadi says, iron sharpens iron.
15:42So we're going to keep getting with it and keep looking for ways to be better.
15:47You know, Jerry said something interesting to me in the presser on Tuesday where he pretty
15:51much openly just said, it feels as though to the media, not a lot of you believe that this
15:57is going to be like a really great team.
16:00How do you balance that?
16:02Because all the players say, hey, you've got to keep the outside noise out.
16:05But do you feel like you're normally aware, more or less, of what the fan base is kind
16:10of feeling during and before a season?
16:12I think we've always been aware of that.
16:14You don't necessarily, I think as he moves through 38 years, he just throws it out there.
16:20Hey, I don't think y'all think we're going to be very good.
16:22That's pretty much what he said.
16:24And but if you would have said to ask the media as a whole around the country, would
16:30you think New England and Seattle were going to play in a Super Bowl?
16:33Everybody would have said not no, but hell no.
16:36Yeah.
16:36And so, you know, that's the league we're in right now.
16:39And you've got to get hot at the right time.
16:41I think we've got pieces to get hot and and but are we there yet?
16:46No, I don't think we're there.
16:48I think we've got a lot of wood to chop here at camp.
16:50We've got to get better.
16:51And I think there's still some pieces maybe to be had that, you know, we can continue to
16:58help.
16:58And, you know, the more we keep that offense out on the field, the better we're going
17:02to be.
17:03And if we get some stops, which was hard for us last year, obviously, it's, you know,
17:08you are what you at the end of the day.
17:10Bill Parcells used to say you are what you are.
17:12And right.
17:13Our stats kind of said what we were on defense last year.
17:16And it's, you know, we weren't very good and we were bad, as a matter of fact.
17:20I was going to say, that's a really nice way of putting that.
17:23I think that like that's where Kevin and I both are is like we see the seedlings, we see
17:27the things that can grow and we see the fully grown things and Dak and we see these.
17:31We're just waiting for it to be proven.
17:33And when it does, like, I think we'll be like, well, I'm not really surprised by the way
17:37they put this thing together this year.
17:38Y'all, the timing of it all getting out there.
17:40I mean, you see the timing right now, how having making sure you had Gary early and these
17:45pieces early really did set the tone for these guys hit the ground running out here.
17:49And they're leading and they're, they know what it takes.
17:52Some of these guys, you know, they do know what it takes.
17:55Now, Quentin Williams, on the other hand, I think he said it, he's never been in a
17:59playoff game.
17:59And so, you know, there's one that you're shocked.
18:03Now, he played at a program that won all the time.
18:06So he knows how to win.
18:08And I know he's hungry for it.
18:11He's starved for it.
18:12And I know this whole organization is starved to, you know, put a championship quality team
18:18back on the field.
18:19You mind if I ask you something a little family personal?
18:21Oh, absolutely.
18:22Uh, we do see, uh, you know, John Steven, shy around.
18:27We see them all.
18:27Are they as interested in the business as you were whenever you were getting involved when
18:33Jerry brought you in?
18:34Absolutely.
18:35And, uh, shy is doing a great job.
18:37I can really speak for John Steven because he is my son and we spent a lot of time together.
18:41But as you know, he, he loves the game.
18:44He's a winner too.
18:45I mean, he won, uh, won big time in, uh, in high school and you know how hard it is
18:50to
18:50win in Texas, uh, high school state championships.
18:53And, uh, he, he's won as much as anybody, maybe other than Kyler Murray, uh, we covered high
18:59school for years ago.
19:01So yeah, he covered Kyler Murray at Allen.
19:03I think he may be the all time dominant high school player at quarterback, but, uh, no, John
19:08Steven loves this game and, uh, uh, he's got, you know, I've got a ton of respect for him
19:13and his opinion and, uh, what he thinks about football.
19:16And he's, uh, you know, he's been, uh, tutored the right way between playing in high school,
19:21playing in college and, you know, he had a lot of highs in high school and, uh, you
19:26know, had some bumps in college that he learned from and taught him school of hard knocks.
19:31But, uh, uh, they love it and Shabo loves it.
19:34And he's like an encyclopedia.
19:36He can recite anything.
19:37And, uh, you know, these, these boys, they're, they're a pleasure to be around and they, uh,
19:43you know, they bring great opinions to the table and, uh, you say, well, they're young.
19:47Well, there's a lot of young, young guys around.
19:49Christian Parker's not much older than you.
19:52So, uh, and here he is defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys.
19:57And, uh, you know, there he is in his, uh, early thirties and, uh, just doing one hell
20:02of a job.
20:02Now, the last thing I got for you is I love getting your thoughts about the Cowboys, but
20:06also league wide trends.
20:08You've seen a lot of like minority share sales across the NFL.
20:14Is that something that you think the Cowboys would ever consider?
20:17Because I know there's gotta be an endless line of people who would love to get like a
20:21minority stake in the team.
20:23Yeah.
20:23I mean, we wouldn't rule it out, but, uh, you know, we'd also be very, uh, uh, you know,
20:29particular and who we would bring in as a partner in terms of, uh, uh, terms of that.
20:35But yes, it was designed when we passed that rule that you could have, you know, private
20:39equity involved in the NFL and you could have minority partners.
20:43Uh, you know, it made sense for a lot of different reasons and every owner who chooses to go that
20:49path can speak for themselves in terms of why they're doing it, but it does, uh, I think it's
20:55a great tool.
20:56I think it makes the league stronger personally.
20:58And, uh, uh, certainly it's not something we would ever totally rule out, but I, I wouldn't
21:03say anything's on the front burner either.
21:05Right.
21:05Gotcha.
21:05Well, Steven, thank you very much for the time.
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