Three seasons in, and the Cowboys are still trying to extract the most potential out of athletic marvel Byron Jones. After implementing him at multiple spots within the secondary during his rookie season, a more permanent move to safety in his second and third years has yielded solid but unspectacular results. The team was hoping to get more from the former UConn Husky and with a decision whether or not to exercise his fifth-year option looming, Dallas seems serious about utilizing Jones as a cornerback in 2018.
In a recent interview from the scouting combine, Stephen Jones referred to figuring out Byron Jones’ position as a “work in progress”, but acknowledged cornerback might be his best spot. He also referenced new secondary coach Kris Richards’ preference for bigger corners, a trait Jones possesses as opposed to the other talented, young cornerbacks the Cowboys recently added to their roster.
“Kris’ background in Seattle points to him liking big corners, but we like big corners too, if we can find them,” Jones said. “Obviously we drafted Jourdan [Lewis], and he’s not a long corner, but he’s very gifted. He’s got a lot of skills that we like, especially in the slot. I just think that those are all things that we’ll continue to look at. Byron Jones is more borne out of we think that may just be where he plays better versus safety.”
Stephen Jones remained uncommitted about whether or not the team will choose to use the fifth-year option to keep Jones a Cowboy past 2018. That this decision isn’t a slam dunk for Dallas indicates things have not gone according to plan with Jones.
The Cowboys hoped they were getting a foundation piece for their revamped secondary in Jones, but if he weren’t to receive a second contract, it’d be a huge indictment on an already shaky 2015 draft class.
Teams officially have until May 5 to decide on whether or not to pick up the options on 2015 first-rounders.
Not only will a move back to cornerback mean a lot for Jones and his future, it also impacts the rest of the roster as well. Jones’ presence on the outside will solidify an impressive and up-and-coming group of corners in Dallas, but will make the safety position an immediate area of need.
CB Chidobe Awuzie possesses similar versatility and was used some at safety last year, and could be considered a candidate to see more time there. But Stephen Jones hinted that the team would rather keep him at corner and augment their group of safeties from the outside.
If Jones were to play cornerback this year, the Cowboys’ depth at safety is thin with just Jeff Heath, Xavier Woods, and Kavon Frazier on the roster. While all useful pieces who flashed individually in 2017, adding another talented playmaker into the safety rotation would go a long way towards solidifying the secondary a true strength of the team.
The opening among the safeties will keep the Earl Thomas conspiracy theories alive, but the more realistic option sees Dallas utilizing one of their early draft picks to bring in another young and talented DB.
With the offseason still yet to officially begin, the Cowboys’ strategies are beginning to take shape. The move to cornerback for Jones is something many had predicted, and shows that the team is open to adapting and changing in order to get back into the playoffs next year. How it works out and affects the rest of their decisions remains to be seen.
