Their former coach-in-waiting spun a 10-win (and counting) turnaround in Washington with the aid of multiple 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 not closing any time soon because of a combination of singles, extra-base hits and a few measuring tape home runs 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 in the conference and NFL pecking order, the Eagles are a half-step ahead because of a plan that put action behind the phrase “all in.”
Championship games and free agency victories are foreign concepts for the Cowboys. They own the NFC’s longest streak without an appearance in the conference championship. Deion Sanders and Emmitt Smith wore stars on their helmets the last time it happened in 1995.
When 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 touch the wheel by his own design.
With a chance to begin a U-turn and start tackling the process that put him in this predicament, Jones appears resigned to steer the Cowboys in the direction of comfort and familiarity. Those are labels he’s using to camouflage his only true focus: control.
When Saquon Barkley hit free agency in March, Jones told anyone who’d listen that the Cowboys were all-in in 2024. Apparently that meant an onramp was under construction to bring back Ezekiel Elliott.
Derrick Henry? Too pricey, not in the Dallas budget because of cap worries and looming deals with CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons. Henry received $9 million guaranteed on a two-year deal 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 who averaged under 101 yards per game.
Elliott, signed for one year, $3 million after one season in New England, made no 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 put that 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 one is relevant as an exhibit 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 vital role and emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year finalist with 150 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks and an interception.
All in to start 2025 would’ve looked like hiring Bill Parcells’ 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 stand in line. The in-limbo offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy the past two seasons was essentially powerless in that McCarthy called plays and had personnel power.
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 make up for draft and free agency flameouts.
Credit Deion Sanders for turnarounds at Jackson State and Colorado. His NFL credentials were last validated in Canton, and motivating 60 pros is a new reality compared to firing up 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 squeeze their $20s tight rather than keep Barkley and trying to survive a shared failure putting former No. 6 pick Daniel Jones in position to be successful. No, the current regime didn’t draft Jones. But they won a playoff game with him by featuring Barkley and trotting out a respectable offensive line.
In Dallas, there’s still the matter of figuring out how to move forward under the shared failures of their own Jones. Cowboys faithful would be all in.
