Cowboys fans and media members have been itching for something to talk about all offseason, and today, they finally got it.
Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Mike McCarthy held a press conference to open Dallas’ 2022 training camp in Oxnard, California. Here are the highlights of their Q&A session with the media:
Mike McCarthy’s job is secure
The Cowboys were 12-5 and won the NFC East last season, but a disappointing Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers erased the success for some fans and media members. It’s left many wondering if Dallas will be looking for a new coach at season’s end if McCarthy can’t make a playoff run.
But Jerry squashed those rumors, calling it a “media-driven narrative” that McCarthy is on the hot seat. Here’s what the Cowboys owner had to say:
“I want to be real clear: He wouldn’t be sitting here today if I didn’t think he was the man to lead this team to a Super Bowl. He would not be, and I have choices.”
With how quickly the coaching carousel moves in the NFL, it wasn’t crazy for some to speculate that McCarthy could be canned if 2022 doesn’t go well for the Cowboys. Especially since this was the first time all offseason we’ve heard Jerry put a vote of confidence in McCarthy.
Jerry playing poker?
Let’s stick with the topic of Dallas’ coaching staff.
In the offseason, Dan Quinn’s name was being floated around as a possibility to fill the nine aforementioned head coaching vacancies. Quinn is known for being loved by current and former players, and it certainly helped that Micah Parsons had 13 sacks and Trevon Diggs snagged 11 interceptions in 2021, which was Quinn’s first season in Big D.
But at today’s presser, Jerry said he wanted the league to think Quinn would get the promotion to head coach, saying he was “playing poker.”
Jerry didn’t divulge what exactly he meant by this, but from Quinn’s point of view, it has to feel odd knowing that your boss is open about manipulating media stories about your future employment to set himself and his team up for success. But at the end of the day, it’s Jerry’s world, and we’re just living in it.
Jerry has no timeline
Jimmy Johnson coached Dallas to consecutive Super Bowl victories in the 1992 and 1993 seasons, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Johnson also played a large part in constructing those dominant 1990’s Cowboys rosters.
Yet, Jerry can’t think of anyone who deserves to be in the Cowboys Ring of Honor. Maybe he just needs a bit more time to mull over his options.
Stephen says…
If hearing this from Stephen feels like deja vu, then you’re spot on.
In April, he went on 105.3 The Fan and said Dallas wasn’t done making moves in free agency. To that point, the Cowboys biggest signings were Dante Fowler and James Washington. It’s about three months later and those remain the biggest signings the Cowboys have made.
One player Dallas has been linked to a lot is former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr. He fills a position of need and is a veteran player that could bring eight years of experience and leadership to the defense. But it was recently reported that Dallas isn’t interested in signing the four-time Pro Bowler.
Maybe they’ll bring back Cole Beasley. He even Tweeted earlier today that he’d come back to the Cowboys to play with Dak Prescott.
Regardless, actions speak louder than words and we’ve heard Stephen make multiple comments about adding players to improve the roster, but haven’t seen it actually happen.
