Cowboys' Stephen Jones: You don't win the Super Bowl in the offseason

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is asking for patience from fans who are frustrated by the state of the team's roster as the draft approaches.

"I don't think you ever win the Super Bowl in the offseason," Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. "I think it's a full body of work that you put together over time. ... I think we'll be a better team and I think we can take the next step."

The Cowboys made some difficult decisions after winning the NFC East in 2021 with a 12-5 record but falling short in the wild-card round against the San Francisco 49ers. The club traded receiver Amari Cooper along with a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round selections in the 2022 draft.

"Sometimes you let a player move on and it allows other players to step up in even a bigger role," Jones said. He added, "I know Amari was a great player for us, but this might allow CeeDee (Lamb) and Michael (Gallup) to step up and play an even bigger role. And who knows what their upside may be?"

On the other side of the ball, the team nearly re-signed defensive end Randy Gregory, but he backed out of the deal to join the Denver Broncos. Jones noted that returnee Dorance Armstrong's production (37 tackles, five sacks, three tackles for loss) compares favorably to Gregory's numbers last season (19 tackles, six sacks, four tackles for loss). "He's right there from a production standpoint with Randy," the Cowboys executive said.

Key contributors from last year such as Cedrick Wilson and La'el Collins also found new homes, while Dallas brought in Dante Fowler and James Washington.

Jones said that the Cowboys aren't done adding in free agency, but he noted that the club has the opportunity to select the best players on its board with the No. 24 pick among its nine selections in the draft.