Jerry Jones' Free Agency Claim Should Put NFL on Notice, Excite Cowboys Nation

The new NFL calendar year officially kicks off on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET, with the "legal tampering period" beginning two days prior on Monday, March 9. That is when we will get the first indication of just how serious Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been when he says the team will "bust the budget" in the offseason.

That has been a common mantra for Jones since the Cowboys missed out on the postseason for a second consecutive year, and it was repeated throughout the week in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"I would bet that we will spend more money in free agency than we have," Jones told the media.

We have yet to see Jones back up his claim or put his money where his mouth is, and his history of being conservative leads many to question whether it is more false bravado to stay in the headlines. But if he is serious, Jones has the opportunity to make a splash and immediately put the Cowboys on a positive trajectory.

Albert Breer of The MMQB shared his thoughts on Jones' bold claim in Indy.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks with referee Adrian Hill before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"... There is evidence of some shifting strategy, in particular with the trades last year for George Pickens and Quinnen Williams, two moves that sandwiched the blockbuster deal that sent Micah Parsons out of town," Breer wrote.

"So who could help Dallas? My sense is they’ll at least kick the tires on Crosby. Trey Hendrickson is older, but is a year removed from back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, and wouldn’t cost draft picks. Jaelan Phillips would be another option at edge, who was with new coordinator Christian Parker last year in Philly. Corner looms as another need, with Seattle’s Tariq Woolen and New Orleans’s Alontae Taylor at the top of that market."

Players like Crosby, Hendrickson, Phillips, Woolen, and Taylor would all be upgrades at major positions of need for the team, and they could be hitting the open market at the perfect time if Jones is serious about winning now.

Breer finished, "... with an 83-year-old owner and a quarterback who’ll be 33 for the opener, and a roster with stars in place, it’d make sense if the Cowboys have some urgency." Let's hope that urgency begins in one week when free agency officially begins.

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