Yeah McClay has been outstanding. But the very best thing he has done for this team, was getting JJ to control him impulses and let the football guys pick football players.
Let me inform all Cowboys fans something. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones are not football personnel savvy and never have been. Jerry was quoted as saying with Jimmy Johnson you get 2 for 1, Head Coach and GM (LA Times 1989). Stephen Jones was quoted saying Bob Ackles taught him about Personnel and negotiating football contracts.
Gil Brandt, Dick Mansberger, and John Wooten are the reason Tom Landry stayed loaded with great players.
Jimmy Johnson, John Wooten, and Bob Ackles are the reason the Cowboys were the team of the 90's but last Super Bowl was 1995. Jerry fired Ackles after the 1992 draft and Wooten left after the 1991 draft. Johnson after the 1993 draft (his last before being fired by Jerry) told Ciscowski (the scout he hired) to stay on top of an OL from Sonoma St.
Today the Cowboys have Will McClay as Vice President of Pro Personnel and former Patriots Dynasties and Falcons Super Bowl team Director of Pro Personnel Lionel Vital as head of College Scouting. These men know pro football personnel and college scouting. Also, the reason you have Travis Frederick is because Will McClay supported Stephen to target the C and trade down not sticking to the draft board Ciskowsi set up. The next year Will McClay was in charge of the draft room. The rest is back to winning Cowboys football.
If you get rid of McClay and Vital like Jerry did with Gil Brandt, Bob Ackles, John Wooten and Jimmy Johnson, you will be back to football purgatory (1996-2012).
The reason the Cowboys let Taco Charlton go is because of his issues with Marinelli. That may bite them on the gluteous maximus. Because Irving, Gregory, D Law, and now Quinn have shown in the past and present they are unreliable (suspensions). While Taco was not allowed to play and grow on the field which is something you have to do with DL. That old man love affair between Jerry Jones and Rob Marinelli have cost the Cowboys Charlton and may even cost them Trysten Hill. Play them and stop waiting for players that are either unreliable or unavailable.
Don't get me wrong, I like the JJs (Joe Jackson and Jalen Jelks). So play them are they will never develop and we will still be waiting on Gregory to get off suspension, Irving to mellow from his high, D Law to stay on the straight an narrow, and the Mighty Quinn to play a full 16 game season something he has not done once in the last 5 years.