Deal or no deal? Jerry Jones isn't saying — or maybe he's saying both.
The Cowboys team owner and general manager told KRLD-FM late last week (via NFL.com) that he would consider trading the team's 2016 first-round pick to acquire a game-changing running back or blue-chip defensive talent.
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"I'd be reluctant to, but certainly if the right situation came along that could improve us now, with where we are with (35-year-old quarterback) Tony Romo, his career and where we are with what we've put together, it's a good time to go for it," Jones said.
Jones was simply answering the question. Meanwhile, Dallas media are constructing potential 2016 draft targets for the team.
The team, then, is merely leaving things open for a run at All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, though the Vikings have shown no interest in dealing him despite his admitted reluctance to return to Minnesota.
The Cowboys noticeably didn't draft a running back this year, meaning that as of now, Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden will likely get the brunt of the carries in 2015. Barring injury, the Cowboys will have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in 2015, CBSSports.com noted. However, McFadden and Randle might not be the best players to take advantage of that.
This much is clear: If the Cowboys decided they want Peterson, it's going to cost them at least the No. 1 in 2016.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow," Jones said of trading a first-rounder. "I've done that two times, and I'm telling you, that hurts bad the next draft day."
In the 2009 draft, the Cowboys traded the 20th overall pick in a package that got them wide receiver Roy Williams. In 2013, the Cowboys traded the 18th overall pick for a late first-rounder (where they took C Travis Frederick) and a third-rounder (WR Terrance Williams) from the 49ers.
