Dallas Cowboys at San Diego Chargers: Five Things to Follow
By Reid Hanson
Aug 1, 2015; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones (31) and secondary coach
Jerome Hendersonat training camp at River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys Corey White and Byron Jones
The 2015 Dallas Cowboys are blessed with versatility in their secondary. After allowing Sterling Moore (an admitted pet cat of mine) to leave in free agency, the Cowboys signed Corey White for roughly the same dollar figure.
The curious move raised eyebrows everywhere since White wasn’t seen as a very good cover-corner. What White was good at was open field tackling, zone coverage, manning up on big targets (TEs), and getting assignments correct.
All of these things became abundantly clear in Oxnard the first two weeks of training camp. White is playing a role at the free safety position, manning up against TEs in the slot, leading coverage units in special teams, and making those all-important open field tackles Rod Marinelli covets.
Rookie 1st rounder, Byron Jones, is in much the same boat as Corey White. Be boasts many of the same skills and versatility while adding massive potential for greatness. The small school kid won’t be expected to do it all right away (like Mo Claiborne), but he needs to show something.
It would be good to see the jack-of-all-trades first rounder display maturity, comfort, and play recognition in the secondary. Some of his strongest intangible skills will be called on to take this secondary to the next level someday. These are what separates him from all of the busts drafted before him.
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