Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones: Johnny Manziel could have been the Cowboys' QB of the future

Published Dec. 1, 2015 12:50 p.m. ET

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is still not over the fact that Johnny Manziel is not on his football team. Jones is unhappy with how he managed the backup quarterback situation.

"Consequently, I think we have made a D, if you want to give it that, make it an F, relative to how we have approached this situation if Romo should get hurt," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan's K&C Masterpiece show [KRLD-FM] on Tuesday. "We should be building for the future as well as have an operable quarterback behind our starter, Romo. And that's where we're going to try and get to."

Many questioned why the Cowboys came so close to selecting Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Jones has explained his rationale in the past, and he used his current quarterback situation to further illustrate his point.

"Do you remember two years ago when we sat there right to the last second on the clock with Manziel? My whole point is, there you are," Jones said. "That was the whole purpose of doing that. At that particular time, for a first-round pick, I thought that Romo had more time. And if we sat there and worked with Manziel for four or five years, now we all know what's happened. We know the off-the-field issues. But on our board, one of our top-five or six picks dropped down to us and it was at the quarterback position, and I absolutely was a vote of one in that room to basically go there. And I understood why.

"I understood the risk that was involved. And we got a great player instead. But those are the circumstances that come up when you're thinking for the future. I was at that particular time, debating the value of him for the future as well as debating a backup."

After another off-the-field incident, the Cleveland Browns have demoted Manziel to third-string quarterback. If they decide he is not a fit for their culture, don't be surprised to see Jones swoop in with a trade offer.

(h/t Dallas News)