FORT WORTH, Texas — If there was a question about what side Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys front office would be backing between the players and the coaches as the midpoint of the 2020 season approaches, let the record show that that answer has been made loud and clear with the removal of three players over the past two days.
One day after defensive end Everson Griffen was traded to the Detroit Lions for a conditional sixth-round pick, the Cowboys informed defensive tackle Dontari Poe and cornerback Daryl Worley they would be cut if the team couldn't find a trade partner, according to the NFL Network.
The NFL trade deadline is not until next Tuesday but teams are making moves early to get the players through the COVID-19 protocols to they can be available to play as soon as possible.
While acknowledging the trade of Griffen partly to give some younger players like Randy Gregory and Bradley Anae more opportunities, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy declined to comment on Worley and Poe Wednesday morning.
"Everson is the only announcement I have today to talk about," McCarthy said.
He wouldn't even acknowledge if Worley or Poe were even going to practice.
"Everson is really the only one I have to talk about right now," McCarthy said.
Of course, neither were at practice Wednesday as the team preferred to avoid an injury that could thwart a trade or complicate a release.
And when no trade partner materialized, as expected by the close of business day, the Cowboys officially cut Poe and Worley.
The message to the rest of the locker room is simple. The coaches are here to the stay and the players must perform or be gone, no matter what McCarthy said.
"I don't really rely on actions or transactions to really send messages," McCarthy said. "They know clearly how I feel as far as the process of where the team needs to get to and how we're going to do it. This business is about opportunity and making the best of your opportunity. That's really what all of the personnel decisions will come down to."
Personnel decisions and transactions are also about making the team better.
Getting rid of three veterans won't immediately improve a Cowboys team and a defense that is on pace to set a new franchise record for points allowed and currently ranks last in the league in rushing defense.
While Griffen was second on the team with 2.5 sacks, Poe didn't provide the anchor against the run that his 345-pound frame was expected to.
Poe, who signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Cowboys in March, has just seven tackles and zero sacks despite playing 253 snaps in seven games, the most of any Cowboys interior defender this season.
As expected, there was likely no chance the Cowboys were going to be able to trade either player based on their poor play, but they had to give it a try.
Here is what one NFL scout had to say about Poe after doing his due diligence of watching him on tape once word got out about the Cowboys plans: "I wouldn't trade for Poe. He looks overweight and is not holding the point like someone of his size should. His effort is up and down and he offers you nothing as a pass rusher."
The scout didn't even bother to look at Worley.
Worley has allowed 10 of 12 targets his way to be completed and was repeatedly victimized for big plays due to coverage busts or getting beat.
Worley played 246 snaps for the Cowboys this season, behind only Jourdan Lewis and rookie Trevon Diggs in the secondary.
But the Cowboys had already seen enough. He was in on just one play in the 25-2 loss against Washington last Sunday.
The moves likely can't make the Cowboys worse and they do provide developmental opportunity for future growth.
And whether real or imagined, it almost certainly sends a message to the rest of the disappointing team.
