Getty Dallas Cowboys rumors are linking the team to New England head coach Bill Belichick.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently suggested his team would have drafted Philadelphia Eagles starter Jalen Hurts if given the opportunity.
Trouble is, Jones did have an opportunity to do just that, but he didn’t do it, and some analysts along with users of the platform X (formally known as Twitter) wasted no time calling him out for his selective memory.
In a video shared on X by Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Jones doesn’t refer to Hurts by name, but it’s clear the Philly QB is the only person Jones could be referring to. “Two years ago, we were looking at the Philadelphia quarterback,” Jones said in the video, referencing the 2020 NFL draft, in which Hurts was selected 53rd overall by the Eagles.
“But looking at him, had he fallen to us there, we would have drafted him,” Jones added. “It is our plan when we can — but it very seldom happens — to have someone of a high enough quality to be there at the right place with our draft pick.”
Cowboys Had a Chance to Draft Hurts & Chose CB Trevon Diggs Instead
In the 2020 draft, the Cowboys selected wide receiver CeeDee Lamb at No. 17 in the first round, and Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs at No. 51 overall in Round 2 — two spots before the Eagles snagged Hurts at No. 53. Dallas did take a QB in the draft that year: Ben DiNucci out of James Madison.
Eagles analyst Thomas R. Peterson wrote on X that Jones had the chance to nab Hurts, but the Cowboys owner “just blew it.”
Jerry Jones said they wanted to draft Jalen Hurts in 2020 “had he fallen” to them.
Cowboys drafted 51st overall. Hurts was picked 53.
It’s not like he didn’t have a chance. He just blew it 🤷♂️
#Eagles
Others, like Eagles fan site Word on the Bords, wondered whether it was a great idea for Jones to speak that way about Hurts so soon after trading for another young QB in former San Francisco 49ers third overall pick Trey Lance.
Jerry Jones trading for Trey Lance and then commenting about drafting Jalen Hurts is simply crazy.
Great way to destroy team chemistry.
Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated had arguably the strongest critique of Jones’s comments about drafting Hurts. Fisher wrote on August 28 that “Jerry enjoys his ‘stories’. He enjoys weaving them, and he enjoys starring in them,” suggesting Jones was engaging in more of a storytelling exercise than anything else with his comments about Hurts. “Hurts did ‘fall to’ Dallas. And Dallas didn’t draft him,” Fisher pointed out.
The Cowboys surely don’t regret nabbing Diggs, who made two Pro Bowls in his three seasons and was named a 2021 first-team All-Pro. But it’s fair to ponder whether Jones and company are regretting rolling with their starting QB, Dak Prescott, who finished his 2022 campaign with a career low in passing yards (2,860) and a career-high in interceptions (15).
Mike McCarthy Has Confirmed Cowboys Interest in Jalen Hurts Before
In 15 games last season, Hurts finished with 3,701 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns and six interceptions and a passer rating of 101.5. The 25-year-old quarterback also racked up over 700 yards and 13 scores on the ground, so it’s no wonder Jones may be a tad wistful about not drafting him.
According to Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys were high on Hurts during the team’s 2020 draft evaluations. “That was something that came up during the draft evaluation. Jalen was held in high regard in our building throughout the draft process,” McCarthy said in December of 2020, via the Philadelphia Inquirer, also noting Hurts and Prescott have some particular qualities in common.
“They both played in heavy quarterback run systems in college, whether it’s RPOs or zone read, they did what they were asked to do in college and were able to translate it to the pro game,” the Cowboys coach added.
The Eagles went 1-1 against the Cowboys last season, losing the Christmas Eve game in which Hurts didn’t play. We’ll see if Hurts can do more on the field this season to make the Cowboys regret passing on him even more.
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Jerry Jones Called Out for Recent Jalen Hurts Comments