Getty Earl Thomas before a Seahawks game.
Disclaimer: The following quote could melt your brain.
And that’s because Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones confounded, to an incomprehensible level, with his response to a rather innocuous question about Earl Thomas. Has he yet made contact with the Texas-born, free-agent safety?
There’s diarrhea-mouth, and there’s this.
“Discussions directly with Earl (Thomas) … we have not had any, but I have not had any either,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. “Discussions internally. We have discussions. Certainly, he’s an outstanding football player. We’re sitting here at personnel time and we’re looking for ways to get better. He’d be one of several we’d discuss during this particular time as we finalize this roster. It would be a misleading thing to say we haven’t discussed him, it would be a misleading thing to say that we have. “
Uh …
Unfazed, Jones’ interviewers implicated that since they haven’t touched base with Thomas, the Cowboys remain uninterested in signing him.
Then Jerry went full Belichick.
“Do ya’ll want me to tell you which way I’m going when I leave my office? … There’s competition out here,” Jones said. “I know you understand on something as sensitive as a competitive roster decision why we wouldn’t discuss it with thousands and thousands of people that aren’t necessarily fans, some of them are competition.”
It seems that Jones becomes adversarial any time he’s challenged on the Pro Bowl defensive back, whom the Baltimore Ravens released last month for punching a teammate at training camp. He reacted similarly when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Aug. 25 that Dallas was out of the Thomas sweepstakes.
They’re not out unless Jones says they are. Which he didn’t.
Or did he?
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Nothing New on Thomas Front
Fortunately, NFL Network’s Jane Slater was much more forthcoming in regard to the ex-Seattle Seahawks star. Slater reported Monday that “no overtures” have been extended to Thomas, languishing on the open market.
Slater dutifully checked into the matter after starting Dallas S Xavier Woods tweaked his groin during the team’s Blue and White scrimmage Sunday evening. Woods’ issue is not considered serious, but it’s an issue nonetheless with cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis (ankle) and Chidobe Awuzie (knee) also missing practice.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones, though, spoke in optimistic tones regarding Woods’ outlook.
“We felt pretty good about it yesterday,” Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “He just kind of felt it a little bit but never felt a pop and never lost strength in it. Overall we feel like we’ll get a good report on that, but until we actually get the final MRI on it and exam him over the next day or two, we’ll have a better feel for what we’re doing there.”
If Woods were to miss any extended action, the Cowboys likely would sooner trot out veteran Darian Thompson, who’s enjoyed a fantastic training camp, or sophomore Donovan Wilson to pair with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, whom the club signed in free agency.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL