OXNARD, Calif. – It's been a busy week for Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones, from the team signing Pro Bowl DT Quinnen Williams to a three-year, $105.9 extension to hosting Academy Award winning actor Dustin Hoffman after Thursday's practice.
After his conversation with Hoffman, Jones met with reporters to discuss the Micah Parsons trade, Quinnen Williams' extension and Dallas' preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
Let's dive into that and more notable comments from Jones on Thursday afternoon:
Looking back on the Micah trade
The anniversary of the Cowboys' blockbuster trade with the Packers is 15 days away. The Cowboys sent Parsons to Green Bay for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark, but that was far from the end of the deal.
Dallas used one of those first-round picks to send to the Jets for DT Quinnen Williams. So, in the end, the Cowboys got Clark, Williams, and rookie OLB Malachi Lawrence from the deal. Green Bay got Parsons, and the Jets got a first- and second-round pick plus DT Mazi Smith. Jones did not say that the Cowboys won the deal, but is pleased with how it has worked out for his team.
"The fact that we revamped our defense, that was an instigator towards that attitude," Jones said. "Let's come in here and change this up, let's get rush from the interior, let's be stronger on the run in the interior with an emphasis on those guys in the middle. So it's not an accident that's what you see out there from the inside…"
"Even though Micah's an outstanding talent, anybody would like to have him, but the bottom line is that I like what the result of the trade has ended up as I stand here today."
Why the Cowboys signed Quinnen Williams long-term
Earlier in the week, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones said that Dallas' goal was to keep DT Quinnen Williams around long-term after trading a first and second-round pick for him at the trade deadline last season.
On Thursday, Jerry Jones reiterated that sentiment, a day after Williams officially signed his three-year, $105.9 million extension to remain with the Cowboys through the 2030 season.
Why did Dallas want to do that? Not just because of what he does on the field, but off of it as well.
"With the type of commitment that clubs make, where Quinnen is, you can't do that but some six, seven times under our rules with our salary cap," Jones said. "So boy, you want to be very judicious and you want that to go to people who are really solid both physically and talented as a player, but also really solid people. I don't know that he's got a peer, and he's playing alongside guys like Dak and what have you. It was every bit a part of our plan. The minute we had a chance to trade for him, we traded for him. We knew we had the room in front of us, we knew we had the picks to do it. It was a culmination for me of what we did last year to get it."
Expectations for preseason opener vs. Seahawks
The Cowboys travel to Seattle on Saturday to open up the preseason against the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
As is the case for all teams in the league, it's an opportunity for Dallas' young players to get their chance to make plays and try to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
"We're going to, of course, be playing a lot of our guys that haven't played, and I'm looking forward to that," Jones said. "To me, really, that's what preseason's all about."
"As a fan, it gives you a chance to see the future and get to see a part of the journey to come in and be evaluated. That's what you see in these preseason games. I've always thought that for fans, they were a real treat to just look at the evaluation of the younger guys as they go out."
Who has stood out to Jerry Jones in training camp?
Of all the Cowboys players that Jerry Jones has watched thus far at training camp, who has caught his eye?
"I really like [Tyler] Guyton," Jones said. "Guyton has really, I think been at the level of competition that we had hoped for with him. That's plus. I like some of those faces that are showing out on the defensive side of the ball, and they're doing it in a way that they should be able to sustain it into the season."
Guyton has continued to work with the starting offense, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer said last week that he would continue to work there as the staff wants to see more from Nate Thomas.
Defensively, the Cowboys' new-look unit has had their moments in Oxnard, including a strong joint practice against the Rams on Tuesday and another day that caused trouble for the offense during Thursday's practice.
