Jerry Jones has never hidden the fact that he likes Johnny Manziel. He was "that close" to drafting the former Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 16 pick in 2014 (wisely, the Cowboys took offensive lineman Zack Martin). And now that 35-year-old Tony Romo's season appears to be over due to his second collarbone injury. With no real long-term options behind Romo on the depth chart, the speculation again turns to Manziel.
On Tuesday, Jones spoke about Manziel, who ended up with the Browns, where his career has flopped.
"Do you remember two years ago when we sat there right to the last second on the clock with Manziel? My whole point is, there you are," Jones told 105.3 The Fan, a CBS Sports Radio station. "That was the whole purpose of doing that. At that particular time, for a first-round pick, I thought that Romo had more time. And if we sat there and worked with Manziel for four or five years, now we all know what's happened.
"We know the off-the-field issues. But on our board, one of our top five or six picks dropped down to us and it was at the quarterback position, and I absolutely was a vote of one in that room to basically go there. And I understood why."
By Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote what a lot of people were already thinking: Should the Browns be ready to move on from Manziel, the Cowboys make sense as a likely landing spot. We already know that Jones likes Manziel, and the Cowboys have a long history of gambling on high-upside players with off-field issues.
Schefter explains:
Where the Cowboys and Browns also are drawn together is this: they are two teams projected to have top picks in the next draft that will have questions at the quarterback position. Dallas has an aging starter but a questionable depth chart; Cleveland could be back to square one. And both could be drafting near each other.
As a changeup to other years, some of the teams likely to pick near the top of the draft already have drafted or paid franchise quarterbacks. The Chargers are not likely to draft a quarterback. Nor are the Titans or the Lions. It leaves teams that figure to be near the top of the draft such as the Cowboys and Browns in a prime position to solidify the quarterback slot for years to come if they so choose.
Back in 2014, Jones' son, Stephen, had a lot to do with convincing his father that Martin -- not Manziel -- was the wise choice. If the opportunity to acquire Manziel presents itself again would Jerry Jones be able to help himself?
Don't forget, this is the same man who, two months after the draft, was still talking about what almost was.
"I want you to know that almost as I was handing in the card, it was that close to putting that Manziel card in. It was that close," Jones said in July 2014. "I looked over to my son, Stephen, our chief executive officer, and I said, 'I took the right pick.' ... He was the top player by three players on our board at the time that we were sitting there looking at him."
For now, Manziel remains in limbo in Cleveland, where he's currently backing up Austin Davis.
