- 7 weeks ago
Jerry Jones joined RJ and Bobby to discuss the upcoming Dallas Cowboys season and current team updates. Jones discussed Tyler Smith's injury, offensive line adjustments, George Pickens, and more.
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00:00Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones joins us now on 105 through the van.
00:04Jerry, how was your offseason?
00:07Hey, man. Just went too fast, really.
00:11We were pretty active, to say the least, in the offseason,
00:15and so that kept it moving all this time.
00:19But excited to have this game week coming up, and we're ready for it.
00:23Jerry, how did you spend your final weekend before the regular season,
00:27the last weekend, to tie up some loose ends?
00:30Well, I'd say pretty quiet, and didn't have a lot of loose ends, frankly.
00:36But just referred to, but still, knowing that we've got quite a run of it,
00:44and we'd been on the road quite a bit with our camp and those kinds of things,
00:49it was pretty easy to just operate right here between the house and the practices.
00:55Jerry, as we're approaching this first game of the season,
00:58what's your overall impression of your football team as you head out of training camp?
01:02I like the youthful, the exuberation that we have.
01:09We've got a lot of new faces.
01:12Let's look at the young ones first, and my answer, shoot, none disappointed.
01:18We don't have a disappointment out there as far as what we had expected at this time
01:23from several young players.
01:26That's a big plus.
01:27And then you have, really, we've got some new players relative to last year
01:34are really exhibiting some significant leadership in there.
01:41Having done that, those guys are really making an impact.
01:45These young guys, I think, have got a great combination.
01:48Jerry, after seeing the new players, the new coaches, getting to see them in camp,
01:55getting to see them in the preseason games,
01:58has that changed what you think this team can be this year,
02:04or has it been the same this entire offseason?
02:07Well, you know, that's really fair.
02:13You know, how do you really anticipate, not only individually, but as units,
02:19how they're going to communicate as an aspect of what you're talking about.
02:26That's been a major plus.
02:28That has been sore backing.
02:31But the communication, the continual talking it up with each other,
02:36really trying to execute, understanding what you're executing,
02:42and then basically making those changes on the run,
02:47all of those things are what I think we've been short of
02:51that we've really, I see, happening out there.
02:54And I saw it in California in training camps.
02:58I think it's going to be the major adjustment
03:02is that between the players themselves,
03:05making those adjustments, getting in the right spots,
03:09if they're, is the thing.
03:10But coordinating that.
03:15Jerry Jones with us here on 105.3 The Fan.
03:17Jerry, you've said before you're a purposefully optimistic person,
03:20and it feels like this offseason the fan base is matching some of that optimism.
03:24Do you have any thoughts on why the fans seem to be more enthusiastic
03:27heading into this season than maybe some years past?
03:31Well, we certainly don't.
03:33We want better than, in areas of the team,
03:39we want better than how we played last year.
03:42And I think when you look at the fact that we've made the changes, period,
03:47not change for change's sake, but that's it, just for change's sake.
03:54But we've changed out really the face of the team on defense.
03:59We've not only changed the scheme, we've changed the coaching,
04:03and we've changed the most significant number of players
04:07that I've seen change since my first year with the Dallas Cowboys.
04:12Now, that year we went 1-15 to Johnson.
04:18And so those changes didn't relate to success on the field that year.
04:24Things changed.
04:26This situation is not the same at all.
04:29We've got a side of the ball on our offense.
04:32It's really, really, really promising to really evolve even where we had last year,
04:41which last year did a lot of good things.
04:43We've got a chance to really improve on that offensively,
04:47and we're sure going to improve on defense.
04:50Jerry, Tyler Smith is going to have surgery four to six weeks.
04:54He's going to be out.
04:55Was it unavoidable to wait this long to have the surgery?
05:01He really exacerbated that injury that he came to California with.
05:10And he basically made that injury more, in my mind,
05:17more obvious that we needed to have the internal fixation on it.
05:22So we were all about that he could work through it.
05:26So it probably was something he could work through when we got back here two weeks ago.
05:35But he's probably made that injury to the point we agree he'd fix long haul.
05:43Jerry Jones with us here on 105.3 The Fan.
05:45Keeping with the offensive line, Jerry,
05:48you guys recently made a trade to acquire Broderick Jones from the Steelers.
05:51Shottie said he was in competition now with Terrence Steele for the starting right tackle job.
05:56How concerned were you guys with that position, right tackle,
06:00to go ahead and make a move and begin a competition right before the season?
06:06Bringing Jones, you upgraded the flexibility that we have.
06:16In many cases, those guys can be interchangeable.
06:21Guards can move to tackle, and tackles can move internally, can move in.
06:27The Jones move really does look good as we think about Tyler Russ Smith right now.
06:34And so it did two things.
06:43I'm glad we got him.
06:48But bringing Jones in really, really does look good for me and us,
06:56because of what we're doing with Tyler Russ Smith alone.
07:00So I'm really glad we made that move.
07:02All right, Jerry Jones joining us here on 105.3 The Fan.
07:05We're going to try to get a better phone connection here really quickly,
07:09so Peyton's going to work on that for now.
07:12But it sounds like, just from hearing Jerry there,
07:15as we wait for him to get connected back here,
07:17it sounds like the Tyler Russ Smith thing was unavoidable to them.
07:21That was something that they were able to manage it,
07:23it didn't need surgery, and it just progressively got worse as they went into Oxfam.
07:28Nobody wants to delay surgery to miss games.
07:31No.
07:32That's not the goal here.
07:33Yeah, and I think it was something where it was in the last couple of weeks.
07:38He mentions that getting to Oxnard, it was fine.
07:40And so in the last couple of weeks, it had turned on them, essentially.
07:44And so getting the surgery now, unavoidable.
07:47It was tough to hear there.
07:49And so I'm curious once we get him back on.
07:51But he started talking about Broderick Jones as being beneficial to the fact that,
07:55you know, Tyler Smith has been, you know, that he's out now,
08:00that they were going to have benefits of that.
08:01So it was tough to hear him and hear how he was describing how that shuffling would work.
08:06But I'm going to be interested to see how that plays out.
08:10And additionally, once we get Jerry back on here,
08:13the Broderick Jones trade does deplete them a little bit in terms of draft capital moving forward.
08:19Because they've got five picks.
08:20What, four picks next year?
08:22Five right now.
08:23So they've got five right now, and it's three in the top five rounds, I think.
08:27Something like that.
08:28Because they have a first, second, and a fourth right now.
08:30So Jerry Jones back with us here on 105 to the Fan.
08:34Jerry, we were just talking about this.
08:36After the Broderick Jones trade, you guys have five picks for next year's draft.
08:40Are you at all concerned about the amount of draft capital you currently hold for next year?
08:45Not at all.
08:47Can you hear me pretty good?
08:48Yep, got you now.
08:49I don't know which is the worst, our connection or my voice this morning.
08:54But seriously, you want all the picks you can get.
09:00But this time of the year, what you're interested in is what you've done with the picks that you've used
09:08and what you might be able to do if you could add to bringing talent on the roster.
09:15We're still alive and well in that area.
09:19But picks are important.
09:21That's your consideration for the future when it gets to the draft.
09:28But what's top of mind for me right now is getting the best team we can put on this field.
09:34So I don't have next year.
09:36I always have next year in mind, in a manner of speaking, when it comes to using picks now.
09:43But it's like money in a bank account or it'd be like scholarships at a school.
09:49You use those to do what?
09:51Put together the best you can right now for this team.
09:54We've got a real chance to have a team that we all want to have.
09:59And I don't want to get in the way if I could improve it.
10:03And I will if I can improve it.
10:05Jerry, you brought up money.
10:07You all did recently free up quite a bit cap space, about $30 million.
10:12What was the reasoning behind doing that?
10:14Is that planned for right now for this year's team?
10:16Well, it certainly can be used for this year's team.
10:22And the timing is pretty conspicuously obvious.
10:27And, yeah, we could use it for this year's team.
10:31But that thing is a fungible, the cap's fungible.
10:36And it laps over into multi-years at least two, conceivably three or four,
10:43on parts of any money you make available.
10:46Now, I know that's hard to put your finger on,
10:49but it is hard to put your finger on.
10:50But that does show that we have really viable, serious room financially
10:58to make a trade if we wanted to right now.
11:00Jerry, you're talking about trades right there.
11:02You mentioned in Oxnard about having substantive talks,
11:05that that's what was important to you with other front offices
11:08in pursuit of improving the team.
11:09And you even mentioned you had been on a call the day before.
11:11Are you still having those sort of substantive talks right now around the league?
11:16The fair, the best way for me to answer that is not timing-wise right on something
11:27this morning or this week.
11:30But if you looked at it, generally speaking, we're in play.
11:35And that's the best way to describe it.
11:38What area of the team would you like to improve most on?
11:43Again, that's obvious.
11:47You can look and see that defensively, and that's as deep as I'm going to go here.
11:53And I know it's too broad for this answer, but I'm going to make it anyway.
11:56You could look for it to be defensively.
11:59We've made our big move there for us with bringing Broderick Jones in.
12:06And I wouldn't look for us to do something differently.
12:09We've really got our running backs in great shape, I think, receivers in great shape.
12:16That tight end room is really strong.
12:19And that quarterback room is really, really strong.
12:22We were really excited over getting Milton back.
12:26So when you look at all of that, you probably could see more than likely depth on defense,
12:32but defense would be the place.
12:35Jerry, you mentioned Milton there, and there was a lot of discussion about the release
12:39and then the move to the practice squad.
12:40Why ultimately did Joe Milton finish third in your quarterback competition?
12:44Well, ultimately, it was a competition, and you could still call it that in my eyes.
12:51But he did some really great things for us.
12:55He's better than he was to be tried.
12:58He's better than he was this time last year.
13:01And relatively speaking, we've got what we want here,
13:07and that's some real talent there at that backup quarterback
13:11and a chance to have some options as the season goes along.
13:15Jerry Jones with us here on 105.3 The Fan.
13:17Jerry, you mentioned adding to the defense.
13:18That's something you did a couple weeks ago with Vaughn Miller.
13:21How much do you expect Vaughn Miller to be involved in your defense's game plan every week?
13:27Well, I think just by the nature of sacks, when you look at the number of them
13:33that the top players get, they don't get them every play.
13:38And they get them a lot of times when it's the meaningfulness of a turnover.
13:45Make them kick.
13:47Make them give up possession.
13:49He's very capable of doing that, as he said.
13:53He can do some of these numbers.
13:54They talk about when they talk about a good year on sacks.
13:59He mentioned in Smiling, I'm sure that I can do that in my sleep.
14:03He's an outstanding player.
14:05He can really do what we need him to do, and that is give a lot of attention to what's
14:13coming
14:14with him out there on that pass rush.
14:16So I'm excited about what he can do, and I think he'll really be in a position to really
14:24have some serious numbers out there.
14:27And I'm glad we got him.
14:29Jerry, there's been a lot of praise for the work George Pickens has put in this offseason.
14:32What are your thoughts on how he's handled the lack of a contract extension getting done
14:37and having to play on the franchise tag?
14:39Well, George has had a top, top camp.
14:43And it's just been everything we could have asked him to be for where we are as we go into
14:52this first game week.
14:54And I'm excited about what he brings to the table for us for not only for the early part
15:02or the first part of the first game, but I'm excited what he's got a chance to do for us
15:08this year
15:08in coming years, and I emphasize that, in coming years.
15:13Jerry, I know you all like to have guys in the building before you give them long-term deals,
15:19and it's been said that much about George.
15:21That approach wasn't taken with Quinnen, but what is there still to see?
15:27What are you still looking for from Pickens before you go down the long-term contract road?
15:33Well, first of all, let's just talk about any player.
15:39It's opening day for us this weekend.
15:42And what it really is all about is right now, this game, or if you will,
15:49so we've all got just what we want, and he's in an outstanding spot
15:54because the better he plays, the better it is for him.
15:57Jerry Jones with us here on 105 Through the Fan.
15:59And, Jerry, you guys are actively trying to compete within this window right now
16:03where you're trying to contend for a title.
16:05How much trust does it take for you to count on a first-time coordinator
16:09like Christian Parker to rebuild your defense?
16:12Oh, I think if you look at the specifics,
16:19you don't win many games on your record.
16:22Your record indicates what you're capable of if you're a coach.
16:29But what you look for is what he's doing now,
16:34what he's doing with the talent we've got right now.
16:37We're pretty familiar with that talent.
16:39And what that talent needs is what he's bringing to the table,
16:44communication, the right kind of communication,
16:47the right kind of tone setting with expectation.
16:51And he's got the team believing in what he's trying to do
16:57is something that they as individuals can execute on.
17:00He's got a great bunch, a can-do bunch.
17:04And each one of those players on defense,
17:08they can make this a part of their defense.
17:12I told all of the players,
17:15rather than say I came in and I helped this defense with what I did,
17:21there's a difference when you can say I helped build it.
17:24I helped put it together right before our eyes.
17:27I was a part of building that defense that ultimately,
17:32if you will, became a Super Bowl defense.
17:36All of these guys on defense have a chance to say this is my defense.
17:41I was a part of getting here.
17:42I was a part of building it.
17:43And you can see that attitude out there.
17:46Jerry Jones with us on the fan.
17:47Jerry, you mentioned your focus on right now this week.
17:49You've got the Giants coming up.
17:50So they've got a new head coach over there, John Harbaugh,
17:53and he had remarked at a Giants ticket holder event a few months ago
17:58that he was working on, quote,
17:59being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys' ass, unquote.
18:03What do you think about Harbaugh already just coming into the division
18:07and leaning into this rivalry between the Cowboys and Giants?
18:10First of all, I have as much respect for him and his family,
18:16his brothers, his father.
18:18They are a football legacy family.
18:22And they've had a wealth of experience in a sport that I love
18:29and am a student of.
18:32So, boy, I kind of not regretted.
18:36I'm glad to see him a part of the NFC East,
18:40but I'm not glad to see him sitting over on the other side of the line
18:44competing against them.
18:45They are formidable, they being his both brothers.
18:50But I've always thought that Baltimore outcoached him
18:54and since he had been the coach there.
18:57And so I had a funny feeling about when he got there with the Giants
19:03knowing we were going to have to face him two times a year.
19:06He's an outstanding coach.
19:08Jerry, do you have a team in the division that you consider the biggest rival,
19:13just a team that you like to just gives you greater joy just to whoop up on them?
19:17Is there a team in the division that stands out?
19:21I wish that I could say Philadelphia,
19:24but Washington keeps me from saying that.
19:28And some of the days that I have that make me really grit my teeth
19:38are against Washington and Philadelphia as well as those Giants.
19:43It is absolutely one of the biggest enjoyments or biggest challenges
19:49or biggest best things that I feel is to think that we've got to play those guys
19:56two times a year, Washington, New York, Philadelphia.
19:59They're equal to me in terms of the rivalry.
20:02Jerry, last one for you here.
20:05As you approach this season and you look at week one
20:08and you've obviously had a lot of optimism,
20:12is this just an instance of, hey, you're either successful,
20:16you win the title, or you don't?
20:17Or how do you define success for the team this year?
20:20What do you expect this team to go out there and do this season?
20:24Well, first of all, one step, really one step at a time.
20:30This is a team that can get better as it plays.
20:35And that's not just game to game.
20:36That can be from quarter to quarter.
20:38We've got that kind of football team.
20:41And if we can keep it together, if we can dodge that old availability issue
20:48called injury, if we can step up here and take the young team
20:54that we've got on defense, if you will, accomplish,
20:58but more to come on offense, boy, we could have something grow right in front of us
21:04and get better and better and better.
21:07If you looked through my eyes at the coaching staff,
21:11you'd see one that is youthful.
21:14You'd see one that is prepared in terms of,
21:18well, this is Schottenheimer's third year.
21:23This really, though, is his, I mean, his second year.
21:26This really, though, is many years of experience in the NFL.
21:32And as I've said many times, he comes from a great legacy with his father.
21:36So we're getting the benefit of, in my mind,
21:40what you need when you call it experience from the coaching staff.
21:43So I like our combination of things.
21:47It's kind of like cooking it up.
21:49You've got the ingredients here.
21:51Let's see how it comes together.
21:53And I'm excited.
21:55I'm excited for our fans.
21:56It's important that we have some good things happen.
21:59As we have some good things happen by the quarter,
22:02it's important that we have them by the game.
22:04That's important with any makeup of any team.
22:07And you build on that.
22:09And all of a sudden, the wind gets beneath your wings.
22:12And you're doing things that you thought you'd only read about.
22:19That buildup, that momentum,
22:20and avoiding just serious setbacks along the way.
22:25All of those things are what you try to get when you push it up there
22:29and you get to those playoffs.
22:31Jerry, we're excited for this season.
22:33We're excited to chat with you every Tuesday during the season as well.
22:36And best of luck this weekend and moving forward in 2026.
22:40Well, it feels like I just got off the last call with you
22:43when we were through with last year.
22:45But we have had a lot of water go on the bridge.
22:48And I'm really excited, really excited.
22:52Everything about this team gives us something that there's going to be
22:56a lot of positives out there every game.
22:58And we've got to have a lot to work on after we finish the game
23:01because of the usefulness, especially over on the defense.
23:04I'm looking forward to being with you guys.