As if there weren't enough signs already this offseason, the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones reportedly have their sights set squarely on a Super Bowl berth. The additions of Greg Hardy, Randy Gregory and La'el Collins, along with the big new deal handed to Dez Bryant and the advancing age of quarterback Tony Romo reportedly has the franchise eyeing a Super Bowl not just in the here and now, but sometime within the next three seasons as well.
"One of the reasons for optimism for the Dallas Cowboys during training camp is, the Cowboys believe that quarterback Tony Romo is in the best shape of his career despite the fact that he's 35 and obviously nearing the end of his career," Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported on Monday. "He came to the camp feeling rested and feeling much better than a year ago when he was dealing with recovering from back surgery. He played 15 games last season and hasn't played 16 games since the 2012 season.
Despite back injuries which required two separate procedures, Romo posted 3,705 yards passing, 34 touchdowns, just nine interceptions and a 69.9 completion percentage last season. He suffered two fractured "transverse processes" in a loss to the Washington Redskins last Oct., but did not miss any time on the field. While questions will likely remain concerning his overall health, it seems that his entry into Cowboys training camp with no medical issues has the team expecting to remain in the Lombardi Trophy conversation for the next few years.
"It gives them great optimism that they believe they're going to have a three-year window to possibly win a Super Bowl, maybe two," Cole said.
While the Cowboys needed a questionable pass interference call to make it past the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card last season, they nearly found their way past the Green Bay Packers and into the NFC Championship Game, falling a Dez Bryant catch/non-catch short of a win and a chance to battle the Seattle Seahawks.
With the Hardy, Gregory, Collins additions, along with first-round pick, safety/cornerback Byron Jones, there's no denying that the Cowboys have gotten stronger at several key positions on defense. With a happy Bryant and a healthy Romo, the only position you'd be hard-pressed to say the team potentially downgraded at is running back, with the departure of DeMarco Murray. But even there, the presumptive slotting of Collins in at one of the guard spots should make an already elite Cowboys offensive line even stronger, potentially mitigating the talent loss and ensuring that Darren McFadden and/or Joseph Randle are able to carry the load in Dallas next year.
While a Super Bowl is, of course, the goal for every NFL team at the outset of every NFL season, it sure sounds like an aging Jones wants to ensure that he and Romo hoist a Lombardi sometime before the end of Romo's already illustrious NFL career draws to a close.