Stephen Jones Discusses Cowboys Plans to 'Bust the Budget' in Offseason

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is making it sound as though the front office could be aggressive this year.

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Earlier this offseason, Jerry Jones said that the Dallas Cowboys were ready to get aggressive. He even coined a new phrase, saying the team was ready to "bust the budget" as they build around Dak Prescott and their explosive offense.

While free agency hasn't started, the Cowboys have been able to negotiate with some of their own players. So far, they signed running back Javonte Williams to a three-year extension and have said they will use the franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens. They also need to extend Brandon Aubrey, who could become the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.

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There's much more work to do beyond that, but Stephen Jones sounds ready to tackle the challenge. While speaking with the media on Monday during the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Jones was asked about the team's desire to "break the budget." He didn't guarantee they would be big spenders, but Jones said they will improve their defensive personnel.

"I mean, we want to fix this defense, and we feel really good about the offensive side of the ball now that we got Javonte done, and we know we'll have George back. So we feel really good about that side of the ball," Jones said.

"I think this is, obviously, we spent a lot of time on it already in the offseason, revamping the defensive coaching staff. And now we'll take the next steps, which are to improve the personnel on that side of the ball."

Jerry Jones said last month: “We want to get out here and do better than we did this year. (There’s) the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something done now? Yes. Yes. We’ll do some dramatic things.”

Stephen Jones when asked about busting the budget: pic.twitter.com/4HTFhCYQzs

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 23, 2026

Cowboys have no shortage of needs on defense

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

It's easier to list the areas where the Cowboys are comfortable on defense than where they need help. Right now, the defensive tackle position is the only spot where they have impact players. That's ironic, considering this has been a weakness for years.

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That said, the trio of Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, and Kenny Clark gives them some true power on the defensive line. Now, the Cowboys have to shore things up around them.

They will have two picks in the opening round of the 2026 NFL draft, which will help, but they can't fill every need in the draft. They're going to have to make moves in free agency and if they want to improve, they need to back up the talk.

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