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The Dallas Cowboys usually enter training camp with some sort of off-field drama swirling around the team, often in the form of a high-profile contract dispute, but there are no such issues this year as they begin their traditional stay in Southern California.
It’s not by design, according to Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, but the 83-year-old football maverick will adopt a calm exterior in the face of the alternative.
“I don’t think it makes one bit of difference whether or not we block the guy or get off the tackle, but I do like the perception that we’ve had an uneventful offseason, and let’s see how we can work on that,” Jones said Tuesday at his annual precamp news conference.
Compared to a year ago, when the impasse with standout defensive end Micah Parsons over a contract extension quickly turned into a contentious holdout and ultimately culminated in his shocking trade to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys don’t appear to have any financial concerns that threaten to overshadow or undermine their work on the field over the next three weeks.
Instead, the primary focus will be shaping a revamped defensive roster under a new coaching staff into a unit capable of helping head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s dynamic offense.
The urgency of addressing that side of the ball, Jones said, is where the narrative of a quiet offseason ends.
“A lot of things have happened and we have had to fight a lot,” he said. “The kind of thing you don’t see, but that’s how it should be. It’s supposed to be difficult.”
The Cowboys hired Christian Parker from the division rival Philadelphia Eagles in January as their defensive coordinator, tasking the 34-year-old secondary specialist with fixing a defense that gave up the most points in franchise history (511) and ranked last in the NFL in scoring (30.1 points per game) and passing yards allowed (251.5).
Dallas also used its first three draft picks on defense, including Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the 11th pick, and worked to address other personnel deficiencies in free agency.
“We’ve made that bed when we brought in a new scheme, new coaches, new players,” Jones said. “We’re going to use something new right there, so I’ve accepted it.”
Getting that group up to speed to help an offense led by the all-star trio of quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens will be critical to the Cowboys’ hopes of returning to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Dallas went 7-9-1 in Schottenheimer’s first year, including a 6-1-1 record when scoring 30 or more points.
“All those moves we made, it wasn’t a quiet offseason for us, and it was a great offseason for us,” Schottenheimer said.
Prescott appears to be embracing the idea that the Cowboys can put themselves in a position to compete at the highest level. He arrived at training camp wearing a Super Bowl championship jersey from the last time Dallas won it all after the 1995 regular season, which was also the last time they reached the NFC title game.
“I like the idea, thinking positively about what we’re going to work toward,” Jones said. “We’ve got a long way to go, we’ve really started in the spring. But it’s good for me to be positive, especially coming from him.”
Jones did not rule out making more moves to upgrade the defensive roster, saying he was recently in contact with another NFL owner about a possible trade.
He declined to discuss the Cowboys’ possible interest in Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, citing league rules on tampering. A deal to send Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in March was scuttled due to a failed physical.
It was a rare moment of caution from Jones, who has never shied away from speaking out in front of the media.
When asked if the Cowboys’ low-key offseason was intentional, Jones acknowledged his penchant for attention.
“I never thought there was anything calm or sober about the Dallas Cowboys. I never thought of it that way, but I’ve been guilty of causing it. And you guys help me, and we’ve been a great team, I promise you, for the last 30-something years,” Jones said, smiling.
Information from The Associated Press.
