Jerry Jones reveals why he didn't aggressively pursue Richard Sherman

The NFL’s leader in interceptions since 2011 was just on the market, but the Dallas Cowboys did not take a serious look at him despite their recent defensive struggles. 

Richard Sherman, a five-time Pro Bowler who spent seven years with the Seattle Seahawks and three years with the San Francisco 49ers, signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday. 

The veteran cornerback said on his podcast that he considered returning to both of his old teams before settling on a landing spot with the reigning Super Bowl champions. 

Despite Sherman’s impressive resume, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not attempt to pick up the Stanford graduate, who had been a free agent since February, although he did get into legal trouble this summer.

“In general, we have some serious talent in our young secondary,” Jones said on 105.3 The FAN on Friday morning, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “At this point, I don’t want to do anything to progress-stop using that talent.”

The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2020; they gave up 29.6 points per game, which was 28th in the league. To remedy last year’s struggles, Dallas drafted six straight defensive players to start their 2021 NFL Draft, including three defensive backs: Kentucky’s Kelvin Joseph in the second round, Oregon State’s Nahshon Wright in the third round and South Carolina’s Israel Mukuamu in the sixth round. All three made Dallas’ 53-man roster.

Also included in that secondary group is Trevon Diggs, a second-year cornerback out of Alabama. He is the only player in the NFL to record an interception in every game this season.

So far, the infusion of young talent has produced mixed results. Dallas is allowing 331.7 passing yards per game, up from 227.6 last season. Granted, the Cowboys have played two of the NFL’s most pass-heavy offenses in the Bucs and the Chargers. The overall scoring defense has improved, giving up 23 points per game in 2021 thus far.

Safety Jayron Kears and cornerback Anthony Brown, both 27 years old, lead the team in tackles with 21 and 20, respectively. Diggs leads the team in passes defended, with six. 

The Cowboys defense will try to keep up with one of the best defenses this weekend when they host the Carolina Panthers. They boast the nation’s second-best scoring defense, allowing just 10 points per game.