Jerry Jones talks Super Bowl hopes, Dak Prescott extension, and potential position changes at NFL Annual Meeting

ORLANDO, Fla. – Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and the other 31 NFL owners are at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Orlando this week for the League’s Annual Meeting.

Along the way, Jones spoke to reporters at the hotel on Sunday for nearly an hour to discuss where the Cowboys are at this point in the offseason following a busy (or busy, depending on who you ask) free agency period.

Here are highlights from that conversation.

Amid ongoing negotiations for a contract extension for Dak Prescott – a topic he remained consistent in not addressing – Jones has been nearly redundant this offseason in his confidence that his quarterback is what the team needs. to achieve your ultimate goal.

“I think there are a handful or more quarterbacks who haven’t won a Super Bowl who will win a Super Bowl,” Jones said. “I think Dak is one of them. I’m firmly there. He’s one of the guys who can do it.”

Despite some new faces on both sides of the ball after the flurry of free agency saw six starters leave the building, Jones still sees an equally high ceiling with Prescott at the helm.

“I think we’re going to be as close, going in, as we’ve been with the last three teams with Dak,” Jones said. “That’s really the essence of what we’re aiming for this year. We’ve got Dak. We want to get it done. I think we’ve been in a situation where we can do it with less.”

Doing more with less could be the story of what the rest of Prescott’s career in Dallas looks like, whether that ending writes itself a year from now (at the conclusion of his current contract with the team) or down the road with more. in- bats in the playoffs. As it turns out, Jones said he anticipates Prescott’s extension will affect the team’s salary cap situation five years from now.

Position change for Tyler Smith?

With Tyron Smith now officially out the door in Dallas and now looking ahead in his career to protect Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets, the Cowboys now must solve an interesting puzzle in 2024 to protect Dak Prescott.

One option to replace Smith is his former right-hand man, literally Tyler Smith, who played alongside the future Hall of Famer at left guard for most of his first two seasons in the league. The exception is when the younger Smith played left tackle his rookie season in place of Tyron Smith, who was sidelined for 13 games with injury. Upon his return, he positioned himself at right tackle.

Despite an All-Pro season for Tyler Smith at left guard last year in just his second season, Jones said “don’t rule out” the idea of ​​him returning to left tackle permanently.

“Certainly, he’s potentially… I mean he’s a great player at left tackle,” Jones said of his next cornerstone piece up front.

Dolor familiar con Tyron Smith

Speaking of which, Tyron Smith’s departure wasn’t easy, as Jones compared it to when he was forced to watch Hall of Fame defensive end DeMarcus Ware walk out of the building and sign with the Denver Broncos 10 years ago. .

Jones implied that the permanent salary Smith signed for in New York was feasible, but if he managed to meet all the incentives promised to him given his playing time and team success, Dallas would not have been able to afford his services in 2024.

Jones highlighted early in the offseason at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, that running the ball more efficiently and stopping the run would be two big offseason focuses.

The latter has seen some positive movement since the start of free agency with the addition of veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, a sure-fire blocker who comes to Dallas after eight consecutive seasons with 100 or more tackles.

Jones said he feels the team is already better at linebacker with the addition of Kendricks and the return of DeMarvion Overshown from an ACL injury that prevented him from taking the field in his rookie season.

“Now, will you be able to stop the run better than you have in recent years? It depends on that kind of thing,” Jones said about how things may be different in 2024.

2024-03-25 17:11:38
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