One point of criticism with the Dallas Cowboys this season is the team’s running back roster. During the offseason, the Cowboys let Tony Pollard walk, and he went into free agency, landing with the Tennessee Titans. The team brought veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott back on a one-year deal, but as much as Elliot is a beloved player, he’s not really a franchise running back. They also added Dalvin Cook late in the offseason, but he remains on the practice squad.
In light of the Cowboys’ running back situation, it’s not surprising that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been asked about the team’s plans for the position. When asked about it in a September 20 interview on 105.3 The Fan, Jones pushed back and threw some shade at the media for what he said was amplifying the running back situation.
‘Running Back is Just Not on Our Radar,’ Jerry Jones Says
Speaking with the K&C Masterpiece show, Jones said getting all these running back questions was new territory for him.
“This is a little bit of a first for me, because I’ve never seen such made of our position and what we’re doing at that position, running back, this year and not having done this or not having done that at running back,” he said.
He also shot down the idea of the team actively looking to change their running back situation, stating, “Running back is just not on our radar as far as an area of interest.”
Jones also threw some shade at the media for asking such questions.
“I don’t have anybody else in the world asking me about this but some media,” he said. “A few of the media have gotten out here and written some stories early about how we’re going to go with a running back in the draft or how we need a running back, and they’re trying to cover their you-know-what as we go through the season.”
In the same interview, when asked about the idea of activating Cook from the practice squad, Jones said, “I don’t know that that will happen.”
This echoes comments the 81-year-old made in a separate interview with 105.3 The Fan on September 17.
“We were pleased…We could’ve had some better protection with our running backs… I don’t see a change that could involve [Dalvin] Cook this week,” Jones said.
‘The Emperor in Dallas Has No Clothes,’ NFL Analyst Says
In a September 20 feature, Todd Brock of USA Today’s Cowboys Wire is critical of Jones for his lack of action on the team’s running back position.
“The emperor in Dallas has no clothes. And the Cowboys have no running game,” the NFL analyst and expert wrote. “And the man in charge can’t- or won’t- admit it.”
Mauricio Rodriguez of A to Z Sports agrees and says he doesn’t believe Jones’ comments will “age well.”
“So far, we’ve seen little evidence to believe the Cowboys’ running game will turn around things,” he wrote in a September 20 piece. “According to Jones, it’s the media making up stuff. My bet? The rest of the season is unlikely to allow his words to age well and at the end of the day, fans are watching the ballgames. It’s not a ‘who said what’ game. It’s football, and it’s clear the Cowboys have a running back problem.”
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Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Doesn’t Like a Question He Keeps Getting Asked