Bell: Jerry Jones isn't 'buying bonds' in Cowboys' high-risk, high-reward offseason
The topic was risk, and while explaining the thinking attached to some of the Dallas Cowboys' eye-popping offseason decisions, Jerry Jones caught himself.
"There are no cookie-cutters here," the team's owner told USA TODAY Sports during a recent phone interview. "I've talked about the players, but I should be careful to talk about the names. Everybody has different circumstances. But in the end, each situation will stand on its own."
The names.
Greg Hardy, whose appeal hearing of a 10-game suspension stemming from a domestic assault case is set for Thursday, was signed by the Cowboys as a free agent. Randy Gregory, whose stock plummeted after he failed a drug test in February at the NFL scouting combine, was drafted late in the second round. La'el Collins, who went undrafted as authorities in Louisiana questioned and cleared him as a suspect in the slayings of his ex-girlfriend and the child she carried, was lured as a college free agent.
The cases are undoubtedly separate, as Jones mentioned. Yet the names attached to them have the common link of being affiliated with the Cowboys, who have sent a distinct message about how they are willing to do business in the name of chasing another Super Bowl trophy.
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Amid a sensitive climate in the NFL, with more focus than ever on domestic violence and a revised personal-conduct policy, the Cowboys have set themselves up for serious second-guessing.
"We're not buying bonds here," Jones said, repeating a favorite mantra. "Risk takes on a lot of different forms, be it financial, the draft slot, something physical. I felt this was the time to be aggressive. Any pick you make, or any player you sign, something can go wrong."
Just ask the Chicago Bears.
In March, the Bears signed defensive end Ray McDonald despite his two arrests last year related to domestic violence. Monday, the Bears cut McDonald after another arrest in San Jose on suspicion of domestic violence and child endangerment.
The Bears were targets of extreme criticism for signing McDonald in the first place, and no one comes off looking as bad as team chairman George McCaskey — who initially balked, then approved of general manager Ryan Pace signing McDonald. On top of that, after the deal was struck, McCaskey made a fool of himself by maintaining that it wasn't important to speak to the alleged victims from McDonald's cases.
Though authorities didn't pursue charges in the first of McDonald's cases, they have yet to determine if charges will be pursued in the second case. The Bears, nonetheless, ignored the red flags.
If any of Dallas' moves backfires, Jones knows the deal: It will be open season on him, too.
No, the Cowboys didn't speak to the victim in Hardy's case, Nicole Holder, but Jones said the vetting process was extensive enough to warrant signing the defensive end.
That and, of course, the opportunity to land a difference-maker to boost a woeful pass rush.
If the signing of Hardy and the selection of Gregory pan out, the Cowboys will have significantly improved a defense that has been lacking playmakers. In Collins — whom Jones personally recruited after assurance from a lie detector test that concluded the player wasn't involved in the tragedy — Dallas will add a first-round talent to arguably the NFL's best offensive line.
"It is really about the opportunity that presents itself, probably in every case," Jones said. "I'd like to tell you I sat down and strategized after last season. It's almost like the draft. Let's be real aggressive.
"At this juncture, that has everything to do with where (Tony) Romo is, and the level of players we have."
In other words, after winning the NFC East and advancing to the divisional playoff round last season, Jones is more willing to gamble on players with question marks because he's trying to win big again — and he'll take the heat that comes with that.
We'll see whether Dallas' team chemistry, not to mention the franchise's reputation, will hold up with the newest additions. Jones, like coach Jason Garrett, thinks there are enough high-character veteran players in the fold to establish the team's identity.
Perhaps the in-house support program Jones has established — complete with a psychologist, outside counselors, experts brought in for presentations and various life-management programs — will help.
Maybe not.
In 2012, despite the support programs, since-retired defensive tackle Josh Brent was responsible for the drunk-driving accident that cost the life of practice squad player Jerry Brown, who also was Brent's best friend.
During the mid-1990s, when his team faced numerous off-the-field episodes, Jones enlisted former player and executive Calvin Hill as a consultant to develop the program.
"That effort is more than just prescriptive oversight," Jones said. "I know when I make a decision I'm increasing my own personal workday."
Jones is more hands-on than any other NFL owner, which is what you'd expect from someone who also doubles as his team's general manager. And, yes, Jones' work days are getting longer.
His engagement has worked with Dez Bryant, the all-pro receiver who joined the team in 2010 as a first-round pick carrying baggage.
He is close enough to Bryant, that "I've been a signature on his bank account," Jones says.
Perhaps Bryant will put his signature on a new long-term contract, a saga that has represented a different type of risk after the team designated the receiver as a franchise player in March.
Then again, one risk leads to another.
Jones said the biggest gamble of all this offseason might have been failing to keep reigning NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray, who fled to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
As it stands, the Cowboys will head into the season with veteran Darren McFadden and returning backup Joseph Randle as the top backs.
"We'd love to have Murray," Jones said. "We had to take a little step back to go forward. We needed that cap room. That's risky. Yet it freed up the cap room that we could use to make other moves."
And take other risks.
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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell