Which reality do the Dallas Cowboys exist in? Are they the do-anything-for-attention glory hounds in the image of Jerry Jones many think? Or are they the intentionally-bad, rebuilding club they’ve presented themselves as in 2024? The answer may lie in whether or not they’ll put a waiver bid in for suddenly free quarterback Daniel Jones.

On Monday, at 4pm eastern time, the NFL will announce the team that Jones has been claimed by. Released by the New York Giants on Friday, teams have been given the weekend to claim his contract. That’s not going to happen. The scout-team safety, QB-4, former starter for Brian Daboll, was released as requested after the team decided not to gamble with his $23 million injury guarantee for 2025. Any club that claims his contract would inherit that risk, so he’s going to be a street free agent once that window closes. The Dallas Cowboys are one of several teams one could argue should attempt to sign Jones to a deal.

Clearly, the Cowboys are without Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season. Signing Daniel Jones is something Jerry and Stephen Jones must discuss to a certain degree, but how serious that conversation should be is a matter of perspective.

Jones isn’t good. He is better than Cooper Rush, though, and as the rest of Dallas’ roster tries their best to be healthy, he would be an upgrade to the most important position in the sport. Dallas’ chances of making the playoffs are so remote it would be one of the NFL’s most told stories if they were to figure things out and run the table to a 10-7 record. That’s near impossible with Rush, was darn-near impossible if Prescott miraculously healed, and somewhere in between the two with Daniel Jones and whatever learning curve would come with a signing.

But, signing Daniel Jones would certainly keep the ownership Joneses in the spotlight, and many people believe that’s their top priority. With Thanksgiving’s late-afternoon window presenting the Cowboys and the Giants, the conversation would be insanely interesting for a matchup between two teams with a combined five wins through 11 weeks of the season.

There’s zero reason for anyone to pay attention to Rush vs Tommy DeVito outside of hardcore fandom and “oh the TV is on in the background” with Nana Helen’s macaroni and cheese gets devoured.

From that perspective, signing Jones is quote-unquote worth something to Dallas. However, an upgrade to QB Jones would likely mean at least one or two wins the team may not otherwise get, and that’s counter to the idea of the rebuild.

The truth is, Dallas losing as many games as possible will help accelerate their rehabilitation. Higher draft picks, especially in a light draft like 2025 is projecting to be, means more tickets to the April lottery. More options means more chances to find the diamonds in the rough. From that perspective, the financial boost from the free advertising of the brand Daniel Jones represents is in opposition to the “mission” of improving the team long term.

Separating for a minute the idea for QB Jones to go be a backup for a contender, it makes sense why he would want to start in Dallas. What does owner Jones want most?