PHOENIX – It seems to be the end of the road for the time being in talks between the Cowboys and veteran free agent guard Brian Waters.
Owner/general manager Jerry Jones said the two sides haven't been able to reach an agreement, but he hasn't ruled a deal out at another time in the future.
"It takes two, and we weren't able to get it done," Jones said. "That doesn't mean my time with these kinds of things, doesn't mean you're not going to get it done later, at all. It just means it's just not done right now."
Jones didn't blame Waters' side for the talks ceasing. Instead, he's moving forward and looking to the possibility of getting veteran guard Nate Livings back. Livings and Ron Leary both underwent knee scopes and are expected to return around the start of the season.
Jones has said he's specifically optimistic about getting Leary back for the opener against the Giants, despite the left guard getting his knee surgery after Livings.
"We have always had the alternative of doing what we hope happens, get Livings healthy," Jones said. "We expect Leary to be healthy and we know that (Travis) Frederick is having a really above expectation training camp, so all of that should help us out." [embedded_ad]
The possibility of bringing in a veteran before the start of the season is still there, but after failing to bring in Waters and Brandon Moore, the Cowboys may be running out of viable options. As Jones said, the team can't just go to the grocery store and pick up a starting guard that fits.
"We've had two veteran guards that we've been in talks with to try to get on the team," Jones said. "We haven't gotten it done, but still, it shows you that we will go sign one if we can."
