Dallas Cowboys: Is Nolan Carroll good enough to be a starter?

The Dallas Cowboys signed free agent cornerback, Nolan Carroll, to a modest three contract in March. Are we right to assume he will be a starter?

After letting starting cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne depart in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys signed free agent Nolan Carroll to help cover the void. Two weeks ago the Dallas Cowboys cluster bombed the cornerback position in the draft, adding Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, and Marquez White to the depth chart.

These four additions, together with incumbent corners, Orlando Scandrick and Anthony Brown, represent a rebuilt unit with a depth chart largely influx. Who’s at the top and who’s at the bottom. Better yet, who’s the odd man out?

Since Nolan Carroll represented the only free agent cornerback signing, many are penciling him in as one of the starters for 2017. But how good is the former No. 1 CB from Philly? And is that better than what the Dallas Cowboys have?

How good is Nolan Carroll?

Simply put, Nolan Carroll did not have a good 2016. The victim of repeated Dez Bryant attacks was often asked to man-up and cover the opposition’s No. 1 receiver one-on-one. The result wasn’t pretty. 2016 earned Nolan Carroll his worst Pro Football Focus grade of his career. His 51.7 score ranked him 92^nd  of 112 qualifying CBs.

Looking back at his performance a bit further and we can see the three years previous to last he scored 69.3, 75.8, and 73.4 respectively. Those scores would place Carroll in the 50-73 range which is typically where former Cowboys CB, Brandon Carr, resided on his better days (last year, arguably Carr’s strongest, he finished with a 75.3 score ranking him 50^th in the NFL).

If Nolan Carroll, signed to a 3-year/$10M deal, is meant to be a cheap replacement to Carr, then the Cowboys probably made a good move. Carroll’s not as indestructible as Carr but he’s a strong tackler and has better long speed.

But if Nolan Carroll proves to be the 2016 version, rather than the ’13 through ’15 version, then he may not even get a roster spot, let alone a starting spot.

The “Veterans”

Orlando Scandrick, 30, and Anthony Brown, 23, are the official “returning vets” of the cornerback corps. Referencing PFF’s scores and position rankings, Anthony Brown (rated 47^th overall) and Orlando Scandrick (27^th overall) clearly have the upper hand in securing one of three starting roles.

While many are quick to repeal and replace Anthony Brown from the starting defense, I’m extremely hesitant to do so given his impressive play in 2016 and lightning fast speed (4.35 second 40-time). You can’t teach resilience or speed and both are needed when facing these dynamic NFC East receivers.

Based on everything, both Scandy and Brown seem to be better cornerbacks than Nolan Carroll.

More from Dallas Cowboys

• West coast, Texas coast, burnt toast: Cowboys don’t need more runs
• Brandin Cooks will change the way defenses play the Dallas Cowboys
• Why the Dallas Cowboys defensive X-Factor is EDGE Sam Williams
• Dallas Cowboys: 3 head coach options if McCarthy fails in 2023
• Dallas Cowboys: Is CB Jourdan Lewis a tradeable asset?

The Rookies

The Dallas Cowboys always planned to rebuild their cornerback unit, that’s why they didn’t put up much fight to retain Brandon Carr or Morris Claiborne. The plan came to fruition when Dallas drafted Chidobe Awuzie in the second round, Jourdan Lewis in the third, and Marquez White in the sixth.

How all of these players pans out remains to be seen but what’s clear is that two of these players (Awuzie and Lewis) have second round grades and No. 1 corner potential.

Awuzie and Lewis’ skills aren’t proven but if were assessed correctly they should be better players than Nolan Carroll by a country mile.

In case you’re not counting, that’s four players currently on the roster, who appear to better than Nolan Carroll.

The Verdict

So is Nolan Carroll a starter? In the short-term, yes. The Dallas Cowboys will probably resist exposing their rookies too much early in the year and will lean on their veteran trio to hold things down. Further, Jourdan Lewis, who appears to be the most talented cornerback on the roster, will need to be coached out of taking so many gambles.

I expect Chidobe Awuzie to be starting in the nickel fairly early in the year (becoming Rod Marinelli’s new favorite blitzer) and Scandy and Brown to hold things down on the boundary (health permitting) most of the season.

Next: How the Cowboys Will Use Their New Weapon

Nolan Carroll will be a starter but if things go right for the Dallas Cowboys, he won’t be a starter for long.