“America’s Team.” A moniker that the Dallas Cowboys have been bestowed with for a generation. Albeit one that was blemished last season. There are a lot of reasons why the Cowboys finished the year 7-10. Injuries to key personnel are the most glaring ones. Losing Dak Prescott for the year and Micah Parsons for large parts of it was always too big a hole to climb out of. However, the underlying issues that instigated this poor season were simmering all along. Poor roster planning from the owner and pseudo-GM Jerry Jones was always a reality. More importantly, the potency, or lack thereof, in the backfield. 

The Chinese calendar says 2024 was the year of the dragon. Over in America, it was the year of the running back. Across the top 2 rungs of the footballing ladder, the dying position has been resuscitated back into vogue. The evolution of the game towards a more passing style was rendering even the great RBs unable to express their talent. However, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry had other plans. Over in CFB, another superstar was born.

Cowboys RB1 Rico Dowdle exceeded expectations for an undrafted free agent getting his first real shot in the league. That said, there’s room for improvement in the running back department for Jerry Jones. Enter the fray: Ashton Jeanty, who’s been a revelation at Boise State. The Heisman finalist put up a gaudy 2,601 yards and 29 house-calls for the Broncos last season. If there’s one respite for Jerry and the Cowboys from their 7-10 year, it’s that they’re drafting in the lottery. Dallas holds the 12th pick, not too far away from where Ashton Jeanty is expected to grade. As such, Jerry Jones is being spurred on to bring this human battering ram to Arlington. This comes amidst prevailing wisdom that suggests drafting tailbacks that high is not the best use of resources. Something Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema didn’t deter away from.

Sikkema appeared on the DLLS Sports YouTube channel to discuss Ashton Jeanty to the Cowboys. “The topic of conversation here for the Cowboys, specifically at 12, is do you take a running back in the first round? Honestly, he might not be there. You might not even have the opportunity to have this conversation. Like he could legitimately be a top-8 type of player,” he said. Sikkema also mentioned how Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com currently has a mock draft where Jeanty does indeed head to Jerry’s World. Trevor Sikkema implied how teams that have other pieces on offense secured should indeed go ahead and use a first-round pick on an RB.

Jerry Jones already has his QB1 in Dak Prescott, a top-5 WR in CeeDee Lamb, and an O-line that, bar a few tweaks, is solid. Jeanty could really complement that offense to get back to their double-digit win normality. Whether it’ll propel them to contender status is another conversation. Saquon and King Henry have shown that there’s value in the position. But for teams that need icing on top of the proverbial cake, rather than the entire cake. A great QB is requisite, and Dak will have to live up to his contract. A contract that, in many ways, closed the doors on Jerry Jones’ tryst with getting a member of the Sanders clan back to don the iconic white strip.

Ashton Jeanty opens the door to joining Jerry Jones after Deion Sanders closes it

Deion Sanders told Rich Eisen earlier this week that there are essentially 3 teams vying for son Shedeur Sanders. He said that they’ve had conversations with the teams picking in the top 4, which is where Shedeur is expected to go. Well, before the Cowboys make their pick. In all possibilities, the Titans, Giants, or Browns will end up with Shedeur. The Patriots close out the top 4 but already have Drake Maye in place.

If there was any room for maneuver with Jerry Jones moving up the pecking order to draft Shedeur, it’s been rendered nearly impossible by Dak’s contract. The richest in NFL history. There is a no-trade clause in place as well for good measure. Of all the decisions Jerry Jones made last offseason, this was the most binding one. Deion Sanders won a Super Bowl with the Lone Star on his helmet. However, his son won’t be rocking it when he imminently makes his foray into the pros. Speaking of the Lone Star, Ashton Jeanty knows a thing or two about it.

“I think it would be dope, a lot of great people there, a lot of talented players,” said Ashton Jeanty when asked about becoming a Dallas Cowboy. “It would be special, growing up in Frisco, spending a lot of time out there, I think it would be cool to have the star on my helmet again,” Jeanty is a Texas native who played high school football about 15 minutes away from AT&T Stadium. “Playing for Lone Star, I had a star on my helmet as well, so it would be a dope moment if that were to happen,” he said. Jerry loves a storyline. Perhaps bringing in an in-state hero will earn him some of the reverence he’s lost among the fanbase. It helps that this hero can run the football at a high clip, too! Alas, that’s if he’s still on the board when the Cowboys are on the clock.