Jerry Jones has always been the favorite one to blame when it came to the Cowboys’ failure to win a championship. While we’ll just leave that opinion as is. Another truth is that this failure goes beyond just the ownership or the team’s management. And someone who knows exactly what it takes to win in that uniform, Michael Irvin, is starting to point that out loud. The Hall of Fame wideout, who was right in the heart of those ’90s dynasty days with Jimmy Johnson, has been vocal lately. A few weeks ago, on the Fox Sports show Speak, he broke down what’s missing inside the Cowboys locker room.
Now, in another episode of Speak, Michael has a word of advice for Jerry and the management. This time, it’s about their draft approach. The last time the Cowboys picked a player from the top 10 prospects was in 2016. They picked RB Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4. After that, they have mostly moved down the draft order, often trading their picks. Now, to tell you the truth, the team has often been successful with their later picks. Jones has gotten on board with Micah Parsons (12th overall) and CeeDee Lamb (17th overall) in recent years. But Michael Irvin wants his team to change this strategy now.
When asked by fellow panelist Joy Taylor if he has any problem with the team’s strategy, Irvin said, “I do not have a problem with the Cowboys draft strategy in past years, right. I have a problem with that strategy this year.” This came after Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, in an interview with 105.3 The Fan this week, shared that the team will continue following its earlier path. “I don’t necessarily see us moving up, based on the way the board is coming together. But could see a situation where we move down.”
Jones added, “We’ve had some good things happen to us just outside of the top 10 with DeMarcus Ware, Micah Parsons, and Zack Martin, Hall of Fame-type players. That falls to you, and you just pick them. That very well could be the case in this draft.” That strategy from Stephen is exactly what Michael Irvin is not on board with. The Cowboys legend is urging Jerry Jones to break from tradition and move up in the draft this time around.
Michael Irvin wants Cowboys to seize top talent
Jerry Jones has not spent much money on signing top free agents in recent years. The team has always relied on the later rounds. Irvin believes that this strategy has worked for the team because Dallas has a lot of in-house talent. But if they want to be a championship-winning team, it’s time they need to add more talent to boost the roster. For that, Jones and the front office need to move up. “To get back into playing in big-time football games, like playoff games, you need to inject this team with a big-time talent. And usually that explosive big-time talent is going to be in the top 10.“
Michael put it bluntly that always going down the draft to pick players would not necessarily work now. So, as Irvin puts it that the players who could make a difference are always in the top 10. Dallas does have several top prospects on their list, like Boise State’s RB Ashton Jeanty. He had a meeting with the Cowboys and a couple of other teams as well. They have also expressed interest in WR Tetairoa McMillan, Texas’s Matthew Golden, and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka. Michael also points out that Dallas has been averaging 20 points per game this season, but in earlier seasons, they were averaging 27-28 points. To bridge that gap, they would need a “big-time player.“
As Irvin puts it, “You’ll usually find that in the top 10, not the other 10. So I have a problem with that strategy this year. They’ve had great long-term success with this strategy, but this year is a bad year.” Well, Michael said his piece. But you know Jerry’s gonna do what Jerry wants. Now the question is, will the Cowboys roll the dice and move up to grab that game-changer… or stick to their usual playbook?
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