Cowboys Reportedly Haven't Made Progress in Contract Talks With Byron Jones
By Sean Facey
The Cowboys seem to be having trouble getting their star players to agree to new deals.
In addition to their struggles with running back Ezekiel Elliott, who reportedly planned to leave the country ahead of training camp, the Dallas Cowboys also have allegedly failed to make progress in contract discussions with defensive back Byron Jones.
Jones is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He's set to make $6.26 million this year and will hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the year unless he and the Cowboys can come to terms.
He's been a key piece in Dallas' defense since the organization drafted him 27th overall back in 2015. In four years, Jones has appeared in all 64 of the team's games, pulling down two interceptions and registering 284 total tackles. Jones was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2018.
He's also registered 37 passes defended since coming into the league. Jones has plenty of athleticism, but the thing holding him back in the past was his inability to translate that onto the field. Last year, though, he showed a glimpse of what that might look like.
The fact that they're struggling to lock him down as well doesn't bode well for the team's future. A large sum of their core of players, including Jones, Elliott, Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, are set to hit free agency in the near future.
The Cowboys better figure out how to come to an agreement with some of these guys soon, otherwise they're gonna have a slew of players on their way out the door.