Stephen Jones explains why Cowboys didn't pursue a deal for Sheldon Richardson
The Dallas Cowboys have the best record in the NFC and appear to have put their forgettable 4-12 record from a year ago in the rearview.
But as injuries continue to peck away at their defense, rumors began to swirl regarding a possible deal for Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson before Tuesday’s deadline. But the deadline came and went with Dallas holding firm.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said the team didn’t pull the trigger because the asking price was too high.
“You can’t just overpay for something even though you may want it and it may be tempting,” Jones said Wednesday, via the Star Telegram. “We just didn’t feel like the value was there in terms of the trade for us.
“…As I’ve said all along, we always look for opportunities to get better, but we’re certainly not going to force the issue. At some point, if you will, [you could] really compromise our team in the future overpaying for something for the moment.”
The Cowboys might not have two key pieces in their secondary -- Barry Church and Morris Claiborne -- in their lineup for a considerable amount of time.
Dallas might have been tempted to address its absences by beefing up its defensive line. Richardson, who was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, has 18 sacks during his 3 1/2-year career with the Jets. But he will be a free agent at the end of the season and is expected to command a lucrative deal.
Despite the injuries on defense and Tony Romo still having not played a down this season due to a back injury, Jones believes Dallas is solid on both sides of the ball.
“We think we’ve got a solid football team on the defensive side of the ball,” Jones said. “The offense certainly complements our defense and that side of the ball in terms of how it controls the ball, possesses the ball, gives them time with the long drives they’ve been able to have. It’s a great complement to the defense. It’s a young defense. It’s a defense that even though it’s not established from the past, we have a lot of players who don’t have a lot of past production, I do think it’s a group of players who keep getting better and are playing well.”
