Jerry Jones Offers Best ‘Guess’ on Timing of Shaquille Leonard Signing

Getty The Cowboys are trying to sign three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shaquille Leonard.

The Dallas Cowboys are aiming for one more major move before the end of the regular season.

It’s no secret the Cowboys are interested in signing three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shaquille Leonard. Following his surprising release from the Indianapolis Colts, the Cowboys — along with their NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles — have been linked to Leonard.

Following their latest win, a 41-35 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, team owner Jerry Jones once again commented on the Cowboys’ plans to sign the veteran linebacker. While he isn’t certain on whether or not Leonard will choose to sign with them, he did give a potential timeline on when Leonard will make his decision.

Via Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated:

“I don’t know,” Jones said late Thursday following the Cowboys’ win over the Seahawks. “They said they’re going to get back with us this weekend, probably after Philadelphia plays (on Sunday against the 49ers), is my guess.”

Why Shaquille Leonard is Being Patient With His Decision

The idea of Leonard waiting to make his decision until after the the Eagles’ game against the San Francisco 49ers isn’t surprising by any means. Leonard is likely gauging which team is better to join at this time of the year and what type of impact he can make for either one.

If he feels the Cowboys can match up with the Eagles — they came up a few yards short of winning in a 28-23 loss to the Eagles earlier in the season — and has a sense that he can garner more playing time in Dallas, it wouldn’t be a shock if he were to choose Dallas over Philadelphia despite the latter’s better record.

Or if he really wanted to drag things out, he could simply wait to see which team wins in their rematch in Week 14 a week from now.

Lack of Playing Time Led to Shaquille Leonard’s Release From Colts

The lack of playing time was a big reason for why Leonard was unhappy in Indianapolis. During the first four seasons of his career, Leonard was the biggest playmaking linebacker in the NFL, posting 11 interceptions and 17 forced fumbles, the most interceptions and second-most fumbles of any player at his position during that time frame.

“That’s when I kind of knew, and it sucked hearing that,” Leonard said earlier in November, before he was cut. “You’re already not playing on third (down); you’re taking (away) the reps on second down, too? So it’s very heartbreaking to get that, but it is what it is.”

Both the Cowboys and Eagles are lacking depth at the linebacker position, with Dallas relying heavily on converted safety Marquese Bell and second-year Damone Clark as starters following Leighton Vander Esch’s season-ending injury. Meanwhile, the Eagles will be without starting linebacker Zach Cunningham for their big game against the Niners due to a hamstring injury and Nakobe Dean is out for the season due to a foot injury.

Both teams offer Leonard the ability to make his splash plays, with Micah Parsons being able to draw the attention away from Leonard and the Eagles featuring a number of pass-rushing threats — Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham — that can help free up the former Defensive Rookie of the Year.

We’ll see where Leonard ultimately ends up, but his final decision may not be for awhile.