Jerry Jones did the unthinkable. He bought a sinking franchise in 1989 and turned its fortune around. Three Super Bowl wins. A sporting dynasty that has turned into a global brand. Jones turned the Cowboys into the America’s Team. Yet, in the decades that followed, we watched the Cowboys sink into mediocrity. 

That frustration has boiled over, with legendary franchise QB Troy Aikman publicly calling Jones out once again. And the answer to these frustrations might be in the works. 

“There have been four playoff wins in 30 years,” he said on the Dallas Dialogue with Dale podcast on August 3. “So, it’s just unacceptable.”

For Troy Aikman, the lack of a Lombardi, much less a championship appearance, and the sparse playoff wins are unlike the golden era of the Cowboys he once witnessed. During the team’s Super Bowl-winning decade, the team would often reach the Divisional round, even if they didn’t win the Super Bowl. 

The Cowboys’ last NFC Championship Game appearance came on Jan. 14, 1996, when they beat Brett Favre and the Packers 38-27. Since then, every other NFC team has reached the conference title game at least once.

Interestingly, what seemed like Jones’ winning formula became a problem for the team. When Jones took over, he let go of Tom Landry and brought in Jimmy Johnson in his place. He even kept a close eye on scouting talent. And the result was multiple Super Bowl wins. Then he tried to do that again, this time by replacing Jimmy Johnson. 

While the Cowboys still won a Super Bowl, they haven’t been to the Super Bowl since. And although Johnson’s exit wasn’t the only reason the franchise had trouble, it was a defining moment. A majority of the team didn’t want the Cowboys to let go of Johnson, but the decision wasn’t up to them. Stars like James Washington and Michael Irvin spoke about the massive change the locker room experienced, going from Jimmy Johnson to Barry Switzer as the head coach. 

That’s what Aikman thinks is a problem for the franchise: Jones retaining most of the control of the team. 

“I’ve heard Jerry say that the reason he hasn’t hired a general manager is that no one can guarantee him that making a change at GM and replacing himself would guarantee that they would be any better,” he explained. “But if that’s your philosophy, well then you would never fire the head coach either… You have to make changes in how you’re doing it if for three decades, you’ve been unable to win back-to-back playoff games to get into a championship game.”

Let’s give credit where it’s due. Jones transformed the Cowboys into the most valuable franchise in the world, along with the highest revenue in the NFL. There’s no doubt that the franchise’s success came from his tactics. However, when it comes to team-related decisions, Jones hasn’t found success in recent years. So what can the franchise do? 

Well, the answer appeared just a few weeks ago. After the NFL allowed franchises to sell a stake in their franchises (limited to 10%), Stephen Jones admitted the Cowboys would be open to doing so. Jerry Jones admitted it himself. While he’s not looking to sell a stake right now, he isn’t opposed to the idea. 

And the team already has suitors. Mark Cuban, leading the Harbinger fund, expressed interest in the franchise. Although Jones politely declined, such an addition could change the franchise’s future. After all, the last time the Cowboys were sold, they won 3 Super Bowls in the next years. 

In any case, while an ownership or front office change isn’t on the cards, Jones is trying to turn the team’s fortune around this year.

The Cowboys look like contenders this year

In addition to their playoff woes, the Dallas Cowboys were the worst defense in the NFL last season. And right off the bat, Jones wanted to fix that problem. He promised a big defensive overhaul in the offseason. But that had been the case in the last few years as well. Jones made promises, but when the season arrived, the team didn’t look great.

This time, however, things seem a little different. It started off with the addition of Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator, one who had led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win. Then, the team added Rashan Gary, Caleb Downs, Cobie Durant, Jalen Thompson, and Dee Winters to the mix. 

The team looked strong throughout training camp, holding their own against the Los Angeles Rams and the Seahawks. But Jones didn’t stop there. He brought Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to the team earlier this week. And this isn’t where he’s looking to slow down either. 

Talking to the media after the Miller signing, Jones said, “I think it’s fair to say that if we could improve it, which is almost a cliche, we would.” He added, “Because again, I’m even more excited today than I was when we started camp that our team is going to be one that if we can have some things go right for us, avoid some injury, we could really be something that we all want to be. And that’s a team that’s competing for the big games. So bottom line is the answer is, yes, if we saw something that would help us any place, we’d do it.

Now, the Cowboys will look to complete their preseason games on a high and kick off their Week 1 game against the New York Giants with a win.