Getty Image / Jonathan Bachman
- Stephen Jones talked about two of the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive stars yesterday
- He was ready to commit to one while the other could be looking for a new job soon
- Read more BroBible articles here
Job security has been a major talking point for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. While most of that conversation has been about head coach Mike McCarthy, there are some players whose futures have come into question over the last couple of months as well.
Yesterday, Stephen Jones commented on the futures of Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper and running back Ezekiel Elliot while at the NFL combine.
Headlines from Indy:
— The #Packers and QB Aaron Rodgers are negotiating https://t.co/wir3vR7rit
— #Cowboys WR Amari Cooper’s future is up in the air https://t.co/xFJHjlW5A0
— International news https://t.co/JTlPHjW3iq
— @MoveTheSticks has a new Top 50 https://t.co/jeMv1wZ4vx— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2022
When asked about Cooper, the Cowboys’ EVP didn’t offer much clarity on the situation.
“It’s too early for me to address that yet. I mean, we’re continuing to have conversations.”
It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of potentially the Cowboys’ number 1 receiver. It’s an even more strange answer given the assessment of Elliot he followed it up with.
“I want Zeke on my team … You talk about playing through some injuries, some things that are hard – I mean, he is a competitor. I think he’s a damn good running back, and I think he’s going to help us win this year.”
It’s really the opposite of where the Cowboys should be at right now. Ezekiel Elliot might not even be the Cowboys’ best running back right now, but is scheduled to make over $18 million next season.
Cooper might not have been great this season, but he accounted for 865 yards and 8 touchdowns while missing 2 games and having to play one with Cooper Rush at QB. The Cowboys also don’t have a replacement readily available unless they re-sign Michael Gallup, who likely wouldn’t be cheap and might not be available for a chunk of the season after tearing his ACL in January.
I’m not sure why the Cowboys are so ready to commit to a declining running back and not a 27-year old receiver who put up over 1100 yards just a season ago in a year that Dak missed most of. It looks like that’s where the Cowboys are at right now though and that will leave them needing to fix some things on offense right from the start next year.