Jerry Jones and the Cowboys wanted to hit the motherload of all homeruns in Thursday’s NFL draft, taking Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4 and then trading back up and getting Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, too.
Didn’t work.
Jones got his star running back but failed to get his Tony Romo successor because he couldn’t find a trade partner.
“We were working real hard to get up there for the quarterback – Paxton Lynch,” Jones said, according to David Helman of DallasCowboys.com.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained Dallas’ bid to move up, which Denver trumped:
Cowboys offered Seahawks 2nd- and 3rd-round picks for their 1st to trade up for Paxton Lynch, per @toddarcher. Broncos’ offer trumped it.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2016
Tim Graham of the Buffalo News offered another angle:
Cowboys called Bills to trade into No. 19 and draft Paxton Lynch, but offer wasn’t good enough.
— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) April 29, 2016
What does this mean?
For one, Lynch was a hot-ticket item. Developmental project or not, Lynch was the third-best quarterback in the class by a mile.
More importantly, it’s clear Jones and the Cowboys want to secure a guy for the long term behind Romo. They liked Lynch enough to cough up plenty of assets in a move if a team would bite on a deal, so the question becomes simple—do Jones and Co. like anyone else that much?
The desire to get someone behind Romo puts the Cowboys in the spotlight during Day 2, with guys like Connor Cook, Cardale Jones, Dak Prescott and more right up there with them. Whether Jones remains so patient is another conversation entirely. If he likes somebody enough, he’s already shown a willingness to pick up the phone and give away assets to move.
And who’s kidding? The Cowboys are always in the spotlight when Jerry holds the controls.
