DALLAS — While NFL owners and front offices may have a limited presence on social media, it doesn't mean the clubs aren't aware of what their players are saying on the platforms.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined "Shan & RJ" on 105.3 "The Fan" [KRLD-FM] Tuesday and said that while he personally doesn't pay much attention to it, he knows there are decision-makers and stakeholders for NFL clubs who do.
"I would tell them that I can't tell you the teams that have said to me, 'Boy, that's the last thing I need is somebody that would put his business out there like that and talk about it in public. I don't want him either,'" Jones said. "Usually it's a rule around the NFL that if they'll act that way with the team they're with, they'll act that way with the team I've got or the one I'm managing."
On Monday, Cowboys defensive end Taco Charlton, who has been inactive for the first two games of the season, responded to comments Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones made on 105.3 "The Fan" that Charlton was simply inactive in favor of rookie defensive lineman Joe Jackson because the latter had better position flex.
"Some of it is just flexibility, position flex when you're talking about the backup role," Stephen said. "Certainly that's where Taco is and I think our feeling has been that Joe Jackson can play both sides. We've been having Taco more one-sided. And, so, it's just a matter of finding the right time and place to get that going again."
Charlton was tagged and made aware of Stephen's comments, and retweeted them with the response of googly eyes and "Free me."
The tweet has since been removed, and Charlton posted another tweet stating the last thing he would want to do is go to social media to be able to play football.
Jones believes it makes more sense for players who want to find another team to not rock the boat and limited their field for potential suitors.
Said Jones: "You need to, when you have your behavior, if in fact you're thinking you might want to move to another team, you really ought to act in a way that that other team wouldn't be leery of getting involved with you. Everyone knows that if you've got an ounce of competitiveness in you, you want to be on the field and you want to be able to play. And we all know that the team that has you wants you to play. They're paying you a lot of money or got a lot invested in you to play."
With regards to Charlton, the former 2017 first-round pick from Michigan has faced scrutiny ever since his selection over Wisconsin edge defender T.J. Watt, who has produced a Pro Bowl selection in his two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fans have felt the Cowboys should have taken Watt ahead of Charlton.
Even beyond that comparison, going against the expectations of what being a first-round pick carries, Charlton has notched 4.0 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, two pass breakups, and 46 combined tackles in 27 career games. Throw in the public explanation that a fifth-round rookie's position flex to play inside and outside is the reason Charlton can't see the field, and it perpetuates the perception that Charlton is a bust.
However, there is one part of the organization that desperately wants Charlton to succeed.
"I can tell you right now our scouting department would give their right arm for Taco to step out here and a major light come on, which he's very capable of, and you couldn't keep him off the field with the coaches," Jones said. "Scouting is rooting for him more than his family is. So, he's got all the reasons in the world, and most people would tell you if you can do it with the Cowboys, you can do it in a way that can have success as a football player."
If Charlton does get a chance to succeed with the Cowboys, that would be a subject no one in the NFL would mind if he posted about on social media.
Do you think players should take their grievances to social media when things aren't going their way? Appreciate the irony of sharing your thoughts on sharing on Twitter with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.