FRISCO, Texas – At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones said the Cowboys will be "selectively aggressive" in free agency, both in house and on the outside market. They've shown their early steps in that department, signing Osa Odighizuwa to a long-term deal and restructuring CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott's contracts to create north of $50 million in cap space.
Following Zack Martin's retirement press conference on Wednesday, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones provided his own viewpoint of how Dallas would approach free agency.
"I don't think aggressive is the right word… I wouldn't call us really void in any area…" Jones said. "If you include what we're going to do in the draft, I wouldn't see that… I'm not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids."
Does that mean that Jones views his roster one that is free of voids heading into 2025?
"Not if you include what might work for us in the draft and what we're doing with our own roster relative to who we want to sign." Jones said.
As has been the case in years past, Jones' comments seem to indicate that the Cowboys will focus more on the NFL draft and being able to develop the players that they do select to be staples of the team's future. That's not to say that the draft will be the only way the Cowboys supplement their roster, it just won't be the primary way.
In the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Cowboys hold the 12th overall pick, and Jones feels like Dallas is in a sweet spot that can address the aforementioned voids that Jones and the organization want to fill.
"We've got a lot of options. The combine actually I think emphasized that. There's key players deep at key areas of the team running back, defensive line, outside the pressure players." Jones said.
"So frankly, this is a good time to have where we are, we're about right. I'm not so sure that I'd want to be any higher, and I think that you're going to get a premium player at this position."
One of those options is the possibility of a trade in some capacity, which Jones certainly didn't rule out.
"Right about draft time, picks get very premium right now. The trades relative to draft picks for a player, this is a possibly," Jones said. "You might call it a good time, because the draft, the round picks to be able to use it this year, can come at a premium."
Since Jones purchased the organization in 1989, he's been very familiar with making draft-day trades, as the Cowboys have pulled the trigger on 72 draft swaps under his watch. With that in mind, Jones is well aware that whether the Cowboys want to move or teams want to move to where the Cowboys are, a price will have to be paid.
"Now you've got to have your bait out everywhere, and we do, but those come to you, and they don't necessarily come to you because you've got a perfect fit back over here in a position, or you've got somebody in mind." Jones said.
"Usually don't count on that somebody in that perfect fit knocking on your door saying we want to give him away, that doesn't come. If you've got to go get it, get ready, you're going to pay a premium for it."
