Jerry Jones: Cowboys In 'Better Shape' Than Last Season
The Dallas Cowboys have arrived at 2022 training camp in Oxnard, Calif. as preparations for next season commence.
But when Jerry and Stephen Jones were joined by coach Mike McCarthy to meet with the media Tuesday, there was no shortage of wondering what could've been given the expectations the team maintained all of last season before losing 23-17 in the Wild Card at home against the San Francisco 49ers.
Jerry says it's his "curse" to forget about shortcomings in the past. But along with optimism about this year's team being "in better shape," he seemed to be equally full of what-ifs.
"I thought we had a team put together last year that was healthy enough when we got to the playoffs, which is always my fear is how healthy we gonna be in the playoffs," Jones said. "I thought we had a team put together ... I knew we were gonna have adjustments to this team coming into this year, you always do. But I knew we had a couple of our best shots out there financially last year."
Some of the players that made last season one of Dallas' "best shots" at winning a Super Bowl are now gone. Receiver Amari Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns, while budding pass-rushing star Randy Gregory signed with the Denver Broncos. Right tackle La'el Collins also departed for the AFC and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.
With little to show in return, the team now has to consider the future of pending free agents like running back Tony Pollard and franchise-tagged tight end Dalton Schultz. Re-structuring the contracts of Zack Martin and Dak Prescott helped provide some salary-cap relief.
Like every season, Jones knew the adjustments would be coming as the roster changed. But even with his foresight of the potential shift in personnel this offseason, the Cowboys still couldn't make it to the Divisional Round despite having one of their most talented teams in over a decade.
"And so before we even started the season last year, I knew we were gonna be making some adjustments with our players this year," he said. "We had it teed-up pretty good. In my mind, we made a hell of a run at it. We got disappointed, but we made a big run at it."
It's not like Jones - or any team owner for that matter - to say he expects the team to regress after entering the offseason with some uncertainty. But it's possible he's getting ahead of himself by saying the team is in "better shape" this time around before seeing what the results look like when the players put on pads.
"I think we're in better shape today to make a run at it than when we were sitting her this time last year. And I say that following what I said right before that. I thought last year ... we had people in place if we were healthy enough we might get 'em. And I think we're in better shape."
Considering how versatile the success was for the Cowboys last season, it's going to take a load of on-field proof to showcase if this team is truly in "better shape" for playoff wins.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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