Their former coach-in-waiting turned in a 10-win (and counting) turnaround in Washington with the help of several assistants and free agents who followed him from Dallas.
A counterpart in Philadelphia’s front office found a way to squeeze the salary cap and pry open a Super Bowl window that isn’t closing anytime soon due to a combination of singles, extra-base hits and some measuring tape at home in the draft and free agency.
But hey, at least Jerry Jones can beat the New York Giants.
As Dan Quinn inspires a new generation of D.C. football faithful with a rapid rise up the conference and NFL pecking order, the Eagles are half a step ahead because of a plan that put action behind the phrase “all in.”
Championship games and free agent victories are foreign concepts to the Cowboys. They own the NFC’s longest streak without a conference championship appearance. Deion Sanders and Emmitt Smith wore stars on their helmets the last time that happened in 1995.
When the results consistently miss the desired goal, there are two choices: change the goal or reconstruct the process.
It’s the only way out of the cycle of doom in Dallas, and Jones is the only one who can move the wheel by his own design.
With a chance to begin a U-turn and begin to address the process that put him in this situation, Jones seems resigned to steering the Cowboys in the direction of comfort and familiarity. They are labels he uses to camouflage his only real focus: control.
When Saquon Barkley hit free agency in March, Jones told anyone who would listen that the Cowboys were all-in in 2024. Apparently, that meant an onramp was building to bring back Ezekiel Elliott.
Derrick Henry? Too expensive, not in Dallas budget due to cap concerns and looming trades for CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons. Henry was guaranteed $9 million on a two-year contract in Baltimore, then rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. Eleven players ran the ball for Dallas last season and the Cowboys totaled 1,705 yards to finish the year as one of only six teams to average under 101 yards per game.
Elliott, signed for one year, $3 million after one season in New England, didn’t make an impact and was released at the end of the regular season. Bargain bin linebacker Eric Kendricks was the closest thing the Cowboys had to an impact signing. He played 15 games and finished 13th in the league with 138 tackles. He also had two interceptions and three forced fumbles at age 32 on a one-year, $3 million contract.
The Eagles can do it to shame. Philadelphia signed Barkley and others to fill immediate needs. They also signed four-year veteran Zack Baun to a one-year, $1.6 million contract to play special teams and be a backup. He started 14 games in four seasons with the Saints.
A deal like this is relevant as an exhibition of what happens when the front office has a plan B, plan C and invests to build depth.
But in Philadelphia, he jumped into an unexpectedly important role, becoming a Defensive Player of the Year finalist with 150 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks and an interception.
Going all in to start 2025 would have looked like hiring Bill Parcell’s favorite Aaron Glenn or emptying the coffers for Ben Johnson. Maybe a call to Marcus Freeman in South Bend.
At the moment, Jones is more likely to go for comfort food. He knows Brian Schottenheimer will be in line. The offensive coordinator in limbo under Mike McCarthy the past two seasons was essentially powerless with McCarthy calling plays and having personnel.
Robert Saleh probably deserves another chance and could bring respectability to a defense that would also require Jones to invest in better personnel up front to compensate for draft and free agency flameouts.
Credit Deion Sanders for turnarounds at Jackson State and Colorado. His NFL credentials were most recently validated in Canton, and motivating 60 pros is a new reality compared to deferring to the Buffs for a Big 12 date with Oklahoma State.
Meanwhile in New York, the Giants are on the verge of a franchise-defining offseason (again), moving on from the costly decision to push their $20s hard rather than keep Barkley and trying to survive a split failure that put the former No. 6 pick . Daniel Jones in position to be successful. No, the current regime did not draft Jones. But they won a playoff game with him by introducing Barkley and trotting out a respectable offensive line.
In Dallas, it’s still a matter of figuring out how to move forward under the shared failures of their own Jones. Faithful cowboys would be all in.
