Dallas Cowboys training camp has opened, and with all the drama that has come to be expected with Jerry Jones’ team.
The good news for Cowboys fans is that star defensive edge rusher Micah Parsons reported and participated in the team’s first practice despite ongoing contract negotiations, or lack of them. Meanwhile, Jones made sure to take a dig at Parsons, who missed four games last year to injury.
“Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him,” Jones said. “He missed six games last year. Seriously.”
Actually, he seriously missed four games. Jones also reminded that quarterback Dak Prescott missed time with an injury.
That stirred up JJ Watt, the former superstar pass rusher for the Houston Texans, who took to X.
“Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it,” JJ Watt said. “Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you.”
Not surprisingly, that got a retweet from Parsons.
The organization also took a jab at cornerback Trevon Diggs, who trained independently during the offseason. Cowboys director of player personnel Stephen Jones (Jerry’s son) indicated Diggs will start the year in the doghouse.
“He understood when he decided he was going to train in South Florida, he understood what the consequences would be,” Stephen Jones said of Diggs, referencing the half-million-dollar hit the cornerback will take as a result of not meeting the workout clause in his contract.
Said Jerry Jones, “We expect a player paid like Trevon to be here all the time. We expect him to be leading.”
Diggs has four more years on his contract, though the way it works, Dallas would save $15 million if they release him at the end of the season.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Dallas Cowboys training camp full of drama around Jerry Jones, Micah Parsons
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
