Jerry Jones kind of sort of talks DeAndre Baker, Marquette King for Cowboys

It’s often said that player evaluation is a year-round business. In the past, the Dallas Cowboys have been content to agree with that sentiment only in terms of street free agents. The oft-used refrain is “We like the guys we have here.” But in a year like 2020 where nothing is normal, is the front office ready to make a change?

It’s unlikely. The two players brought up in owner Jerry Jones’ weekly interview on 105.3 the Fan were Deandre Baker and Marquette King. Jones was non-committal on one and gave a definitive no on the other. The two players come with their own baggage that has left them out in the NFL cold for the entirety of the 2020 season.

The Baker story requires a law degree to understand what fully took place. But after a wild series of malpractice, the charges against him in a robbery case were dropped on Tuesday morning. He was a first-round pick by the New York Giants just a year ago and has the kind of pedigree that teams covet so badly.

The Cowboys brass has rarely shied away from troubled players, but his play through one season might not match up with the headache and publicity he might bring. Still, it’s worth at least kicking the tires as the defense will enter 2021 with a dearth of talent at the corner position.

When it comes to King, he’s out of the picture for now despite a work-out of the mercurial punter. He’s certainly more talented than what the team had been trotting out for years in Chris Jones, but his flamboyant personality has clearly turned teams off.

The Oakland Raiders moved on from him despite his solid kicking through five years and he only made it through four games with the Denver Broncos before being given a pink slip. On the bright side for Dallas, the long-term answer at punter could be Hunter Niswander, not the left-footed nightmare that had been seen submarining the punting game for years.