Jerry Jones wants to win now, with Bryant and Murray

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke for 90 minutes at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, dishing out more than 8,700 words during his annual talk with the media aboard the team’s gaudy $3 million bus outside Lucas Oil Stadium.

He paused briefly to take a call on his archaic flip phone, which he refuses to let go.

Jones made it clear that the Cowboys’ off-season focus is to win now, with quarterback Tony Romo still in the prime of his career, and build off last season’s success.

And while Jones said the team needs to improve on defense, building on last year’s success begins with holding onto receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray as stubbornly as Jones clings to his flip phone.

“We’re real clear: Dez is a player we want for long term,” Jones said. “And we want Murray for his career as well. The only reason to have any equivocation on that is that this is pro football and we have limitations on what you can allocate to any position or allocate to your football team, which side of the ball you want to allocate your dollars on. It’s pretty obvious anybody can add up we got a lot of money allocated to our offense right now. Nothing wrong with that because we can win with a lot of money allocated to our offense, but we’ve got to be cognizant of the fact we want to improve our defense.”

Jones also said that while the team plans to use the franchise tag on Bryant if they can’t reach a long-term deal, that’s not his preferred way of doing business.

Jones said he thought the Cowboys were close to getting a deal done before Bryant changed agents from Eugene Parker to Roc Nation Sports in November. Jones said the Cowboys have had no meaningful contract talks since the switch.

“I can tell you I’m not that excited about the franchise tag with Dez simply because I’d like to have our agreement and our business in place for a long time to come with Dez,” Jones said. “But the franchise [tag] is there for a reason and situations like this.”

Bryant, who said during the season he would be disappointed if the Cowboys applied the franchise tag to him, is seeking a deal worth at least $13 million annually with at least $30 million guaranteed.

The franchise-tag price for a wide receiver is expected to be around $13 million next season, though the number won't be set until the official 2015 salary cap is finalized.

Jones understands Bryant’s frustration but doesn’t believe the receiver would hold out if tagged.

“I’m sensitive to Dez in and as to [how] it impacts him [and] his future,” Jones said. “We’re counting on Dez to really help us to get to where we’re trying to go. He had a great year last year. He does all of the things. He works hard. He brings to the table all of the things you want.”

Jones said the Cowboys badly want a deal done with Murray as well. He prefers a proven back such as Murray to a rookie, even though the 2015 NFL Draft is deep with quality running backs.

The hard part is finding a way to make the dollars fit with considerations of the declining value of the running back position and the impact of the team’s dominant offensive line.

“Our wish is to work something out, and we’re going to strive to do that to the extent that we can,” Jones said. “... We had the top rushing game, so relative to values, that creates some things that wouldn’t be there had we not had some of the success that we’ve had. He’d be the first to tell you that he didn’t do that by himself. But the other people on the team would also tell you that he was a major contributor to what we did.”

Coach Jason Garrett has made it clear he wants the league’s leading rusher and NFL Offensive Player of the Year back in the fold.

Jones doesn’t want to let Murray get away a year after surpassing Emmitt Smith’s franchise record for rushing yards in a season. But Jones pointed out that the Cowboys parted ways with defensive end DeMarcus Ware, the team’s all-time sacks leader, after last season for financial reasons.

“There’s your perfect case of having to move on from a player that you really thought was one of your cornerstone of your team,” Jones said.

Jones was again clear that the emphasis will be on the running game, which played such a big role in the Cowboys’ success in 2014 and Romo having the best season of his career, with or without Murray.

“We will not change that at all, as far as our emphasis on the running game,” Jones said.

For what it’s worth, he is not changing from the flip phone, either.

This story was originally published February 21, 2015 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Jerry Jones wants to win now, with Bryant and Murray."