'Top-10 Money & Half-Ass Availability': Is Jerry Jones Right About Cowboys Big-Name Moves?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones kicked off 2022 by taking one last swipe at 2021.

Though the Cowboys lost key, productive veterans in free agency in receiver Amari Cooper, defensive end Randy Gregory and offensive tackle La'el Collins, Jones remains adamant that the players were voluntarily allowed to leave.

"We lost some key players," Jones admitted during his Cowboys' "State of the Union" press conference in Oxnard. "But it was our decision to lose them."

In amplifying that stance, Jones reminded that the three players were among the team's Top 10 highest salaries. In essence, he said that Cooper, Gregory and Collins didn't provide a manageable bang for buck.

"Those decisions were base more on availability than ability," Jones said. "It had everything to do with it. When you're talking about Top 10 money and you get around to half-ass availability ... I'm not talking Pig Latin here. I wanna be straight. I love those players personally. But the No. 1 thing you've got to do as a player to help us win football games is availability."

Gregory suffered a calf injury late in the season and started 11 of Dallas' 17 games. Collins was suspended five games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. And Cooper, who was unvaccinated, missed two games late in the year with COVID-19 and his lack of effort in the team's playoff loss was "troubling" to team management.

The Cowboys released Collins and traded Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, while Gregory seemingly left them at the altar with a last-minute decision to accept a free-agent offer from the Denver Broncos.

Maintains Jones, "I think we are in better shape to win a title this year than we were last year."

To Jones' point, neither Gregory or Collins are healthy enough to begin training camp on the field with their new teams.

With contributions from Cooper, Gregory and Collins, the Cowboys went 12-5 and won the NFC East last season before a bitterly disappointing Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers. ... and in the end, we can only judge Jones' "top-money-vs.-half-assed-availability'' in one way.

Will the Dallas Cowboys win more games without 'em?

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