Why the Dallas Cowboys may not re-sign Byron Jones after all

There are signs that suggest the Dallas Cowboys may not re-sign cornerback Byron Jones long-term

The Dallas Cowboys have the money to secure all their cornerstone players for the foreseeable future. Whether or not they decide to do so is an entirely different question. Byron Jones is one of the players who’s future is in question.

One would think, coming off a career year and playing a position of such importance, Byron’s retention would all but be assured. Especially since recent studies have shown a growing importance in coverage in today’s NFL and that good coverage is a greater indicator of defensive success than a good pass-rush is (mind blown, right?). But there are some signs indicating Jones is playing his last season in Dallas, and we’ll look at those signs today…

The Dallas Cowboys have changed the way they populate the secondary these days. Ever since Kris Richard came on, Dallas has essentially devalued the secondary. Some of that has to do with the players who were already in place (Richard inherited Jones, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, and Anthony Brown) but it also has to do with Richard’s overall philosophy regarding DB value.

Two weeks ago we talked about how the Dallas Cowboys are now targeting traits over talent. If you don’t fit those traits, they probably won’t take a chance on your talent. Since Richard has come in, he’s brought in four notable CBs and not one of them has been shorter than 6’1” or have arms less than 32 inches long. It follows the blueprint he executed in Seattle.

The Seahawks, who run a defense strikingly similar to Dallas’, had a reputation for drafting long and lean corners later in the draft: Richard Sherman (5th round), Byron Maxwell (6th round), Jeremy Lane (6th round), and Brandon Browner (undrafted) were all Day 3 picks who boasted arms longer than 32 inches.

You see, what Seattle valued – length – didn’t require draft pedigree or traditional coverage skills. Someone like Byron Jones just doesn’t fit that profile. Last week we pointed out that Byron was excellent for Dallas last season, but he’s nowhere near the level of Richard Sherman.

His two career picks pale in comparison to Sherman’s 32 career picks in his seven Seattle seasons. Sherman’s special ball hawking ability is what prompted Seattle to break from their norm and re-sign him to a mammoth contract extension.

Outside of Sherman, CB was largely viewed as a replaceable part. As long as Richard is given moldable traits players, he could make the secondary work.