Jerry Jones: Cowboys “running out of time” for playoff run

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You don’t get as rich as Jerry Jones without being good at math.

So when the Cowboys owner looks at his 5-6 team, he realizes time is drawing short if they’re going to make the postseason.

But on his weekly radio show on KRLD-FM, Jones also suggested there are other goals at play as well, goals which sound vaguely Shanahan-ian in meaning.

“Getting it right? We do, yes,” Jones said when asked if the Cowboys have time to fix their season (via ESPNDallas.com). “We’re running out of time as to the playoffs. Do we have enough time? It’s numerically possible, but you got to really step out here this week and do the right things to win a ballgame on the field. You have time to do that.

“Certainly you want to be going into the final weeks of the season, . . . [and] playing at an uptick to play well in the playoffs. But there’s another reason why you want to be playing well, too. You want to be playing well so you can basically look at your core and see where you are with your core and evaluate your core as far as seasons to come.”

While not as blatant as Redskins coach Mike Shanahan’s “evaluate” comments after their loss to the Panthers, it does illustrate an eye toward the future.

In the offseason, all the talk was about “windows,” and if this team doesn’t make a push, Jones may come to the realization it’s already closed.

“I thought we’d be better than this,” said Jones, “although I do realize the kind of competition we have in the league. We got nine teams that are 5-6 or 6-5 in the NFL right now. I knew we were in a league that has a lot of competition, but I thought we would be better.”

He always does. And they haven’t been. Which makes you wonder how long a leash this core has.

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The Vikings have retained an experienced reserve interior offensive lineman.

The club has re-signed guard/center Joe Berger, who has played for Minnesota since 2011.

The 31-year-old Berger started a game at both guard spots last season and appeared in all 16 contests. He also contributed on special teams.

A 10th-year pro from Michigan Tech, Berger has played in 82 regular season games in his NFL career. Before joining the Vikings, Berger played for the Dolphins (2005-2006, 2009-2010) and Cowboys (2006-2008).

AP

The Panthers entire offensive line either retired or hit free agency. And they still didn’t make a move to keep Bruce Campbell.

According to John Keim of ESPN.com, the Redskins did, signing the backup tackle to a one-year deal.

Campbell hasn’t started an NFL game in his time with the Panthers and Raiders, and is still living off an excellent Combine workout when he was coming out of Maryland. He ran a 4.75 40-yard dash, which was enough to sell the Raiders on him, and that was essentially his career highlight.

He missed last year after suffering a preseason shoulder injury, though it was hard to notice.

AP

Free-agent defensive end/linebacker DeMarcus Ware has arrived in Denver for the first free-agent visit of his career.

The Broncos are the front runners for Ware, and they’ll get the first crack at signing him.

Appearing on Wednesday’s edition of PFT Live, Vic Lombardi of CBS 4 in Denver said he’ll be surprised if the Broncos don’t sign Ware today.

Ware is believed to be looking for $10 million per year.  He was due $12.75 million from the Cowboys, and it’s unclear how much less than that the Cowboys were willing to pay to keep him.

If Ware gets out of Denver without a contract, there’s a good chance he’ll sign elsewhere.  The best news is that the negotiations are occurring face to face, without the intervention of, you know, a fax machine.

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Darren Sproles does not want to be traded.

Sproles, the running back and return man whom the Saints are shopping around the league, told Josina Anderson of ESPN that if he has no future in New Orleans, he wants the team to cut him.

“I want to get released,” Sproles said. “I don’t want to be traded. I don’t know where they would send me because I have no control over it and I want to be able to pick. The good thing is none of the teams I’m told they’re talking to are terrible. It’s more than two. I feel I should have more of an idea later on today.”

It’s easy to see why Sproles would feel that way: You’d always rather control your own fate, and potentially negotiate a pay raise, than have someone else determine your future for you. But the reality is that the Saints are reportedly fielding several offers for Sproles, and they’d be fools not to get some compensation for Sproles if they can.

If Sproles is adamantly opposed to a trade, he could threaten to retire if the Saints trade him somewhere he doesn’t want to go. That might scare some teams off. But the most likely scenario is that the Saints trade Sproles to the team that offers them the best deal, and that Sproles ends up playing for that team, even if it’s a team that wouldn’t have been his top choice.

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The Seahawks have decided that Chris Clemons is expendable.

Clemons, a 32-year-old veteran who had been viewed as a likely cap casualty, was informed today that he is being released. According to Albert Breer of NFL Network, the move saves the Seahawks $7.5 million in cap room.

Clemons arrived in Seattle in 2010 and made an instant impact: He started all 16 games and had 11 or more sacks for three straight years. But in 2013 his role in the defense was reduced, and although he was in the starting lineup for most games, he had just 4.5 sacks.

Jared Allen is reportedly a potential free agent target of the Seahawks, and he could make sense as a replacement for the part that Clemons played in Seattle’s defense.

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The Rams are trying to stem the tide of linemen leaving town.

According to Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, the Rams are hosting former Buccaneers guard Davin Joseph today.

They need the reinforcements, after losing Rodger Saffold to the Raiders, Chris Williams to the Bills and with Shelley Smith out making visits.

Joseph was cut by the Bucs after a disappointing return from knee surgery, but he has been a quality player in the past. If he’s well, he could help a line that needed several upgrades from last season.

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Maybe the Steelers were impressed by Cody Wallace’s willingness to do whatever it takes to win last year.

Whatever the reason, they have rewarded him for it.

The Steelers announced they had kept Wallace with a three-year deal Tuesday.

A backup interior lineman, Wallace came into the league as a fourth-round pick of the 49ers, and has also spent time with the Lions, Jets, Texans and Buccaneers.

Now, he can put down roots. Hopefully not too deeply, however.

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The Eagles have added some special teams coverage punch.

The club said Wednesday it had reached a two-year deal with Texans outside linebacker Bryan Braman, who was not tendered by Houston as a restricted free agent.

Braman (6-5, 241) played in 44 regular season games for Houston and was among the club’s leaders in special teams tackles in 2013.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who cited Braman’s agent, Braman received a $3.15 million contract with $1 million in guarantees.

“You don’t find many players of Bryan’s size with the ability to run down the field and make plays on special teams,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said in a team-issued statement on Wednesday. “It’s an area of the game that we always have our eye on and look to improve. With his size, we also like his potential as a guy who can compete for spot as an outside linebacker.”

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The Broncos were one of the busiest teams in the league on the opening day of free agency, landing both safety T.J. Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib to a defense that was last seen getting shredded in the Super Bowl.

They may not be done either. They’ve been installed as the favorites in the race to land Demarcus Ware and Mike Florio will talk to Vic Lombardi of CBS4 in Denver about that possibility. There’s also talk of interest in linebackers Jon Beason and Daryl Smith, so we’ll try to find out from Lombardi just how many free agents the AFC champs expect to sign this offseason.

One of their own free agents that will probably wind up elsewhere is wide receiver Eric Decker, who is visiting with the Jets on Wednesday. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News will also be on the program with the latest on those talks as well as an overview of what else the Jets have done and are planning to do.

It all gets started at noon ET and you can watch it all live by clicking right here.

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Pierre Thomas won’t be going anywhere after all.

Thomas, the running back who was rumored to be on the verge of getting traded or cut by the Saints, will instead stay in New Orleans after agreeing to a new contract. Thomas’s agent, Lamont Smith, revealed on Twitter that the two sides have agreed to a two-year deal.

That means the Saints will go into the 2014 season with Thomas as their No. 1 running back and Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson joining him in the backfield. Darren Sproles is expected to be traded.

Last year Thomas played in all 16 games, starting nine, and had 147 carries for 549 yards. He also had a career-high 77 catches for 513 yards.

AP

Ben Tate is the top running back on PFT‘s Hot 100 list of the top free agents, coming in at 38th overall, and he’s making his first reported visit of free agency on Wednesday.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on a Wednesday morning SportsCenter that Tate is in Cleveland to meet with the Browns about joining their backfield.

Tate has been linked to Cleveland for quite a while, as the Browns have been expected to be in the market for a back since they traded Trent Richardson last season and Tate was at the top of every list of possible free agents. Some may point to the presence of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as well, but Shanahan was gone from Houston before Tate arrived. Tate’s running style should be a good fit for what Shanahan likes in the running game, though.

Tate battled through broken ribs for much of last season before finally landing on injured reserve at the end of the year. He ran for 771 yards on 181 carries in the 14 games he was able to play.

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Wednesday started with reports that the Bills were hosting free agent cornerback Nolan Carroll and guard Chris Williams on visits in Buffalo.

At least one of them isn’t leaving town.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Bills have struck a deal to make Williams a member of the team. Per Schefter, it is a four-year, $13.5 million deal with $5.5 million in guaranteed money.

Williams started every game at left guard for the Rams last season and that contract suggests that he’ll be doing the same thing in Buffalo next season. The Bills struggled to find a capable replacement for Andy Levitre at the spot last season and they’re obviously hoping that Williams can provide them with more push up front.

It may not be the safest of bets given Williams’ history as a first-round washout in Chicago and a player who failed to distinguish himself in Buffalo, but it’s never been easy to get free agents to come to Buffalo without paying a bit of a premium.

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The Patriots haven’t done any deals yet, but they continue to line up visitors.

The latest to come in, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com, is Cardinals outside linebacker Matt Shuaghnessy.

The 27-year-old Shaughnessy played as a lineman during his time with the Raiders, but was able to make the transition to playing on his feet with the Cardinals last year.

The Cards had been trying to keep him, but it appears he’s ready to look around.

The Patriots have also had or scheduled visits with Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard and Panthers wide receiver Brandon Lafell, a more measured approach than some of their AFC brethren.

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While the Jaguars aren’t swinging for the fences, they’re hitting a bunch of singles in free agency.

They’ve added defensive end Red Bryant, running back Toby Gerhart, and guard Zane Beadles.  Now, per a league source, the Jaguars have agreed to terms with linebacker Dekoda Watson.

Formerly of the Buccaneers, he’s primarily a special-teams contributor whom the Jags hope can develop into a situational pass rusher.

The Jaguars also could be signing Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond and Lions defensive end Willie Young.

Jacksonville G.M. Dave Caldwell otherwise has been busy, re-signing quarterback Chad Henne, re-signing cornerback Will Blackmon, and shipping quarterback Blaine Gabbert to the 49ers.

The Giants got the ball rolling in free agency by signing guard Geoff Schwartz on Tuesday, but they aren’t done looking for ways to upgrade an offensive line that was an abject failure last season.

Adam Caplan of ESPN reports that the team will have guard Shelley Smith in for a visit on Wednesday. They are also expected to visit with kick returner Jacoby Jones a day after signing running back Rashad Jennings to further help what owner John Mara called a “broken” offense.

Smith spent the last two years with the Rams, starting eight times while playing in 25 games. The 2010 sixth-round pick started his career with the Texans, but never saw any regular season action until he moved to St. Louis.

With Schwartz in the fold and Chris Snee taking a pay cut, Smith is likely ticketed for a depth role. That’s not insignificant given the fact that Snee is coming off of hip surgery and Smith could be an option to start in the future as Snee is close to the end of the line.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m. ET: Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports that Smith is scheduled to visit with the Patriots on Thursday as well.

[Photo credit: StLouisRams.com]