Dallas Cowboys: Not re-signing Byron Jones is the wrong move

Byron Jones is an elite cornerback , and if the Dallas Cowboys let Jones walk in free agency, it will be a major blow to an already disappointing defense.

The Dallas Cowboys were supposed to have a legit defense in 2019. After all, the Cowboys were coming off of a top-five defense from 2018 and the expectation was to continue their dominance.

And the Cowboys defense of 2018 wasn’t about any smoke and mirrors, either. The Cowboys defense was doing it the old fashion way on all three levels of its top-five defense: front four, linebackers, and secondary.

Leading the way on defense were “War Daddies”/edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence (D-Law), Tyrone Crawford, and Randy Gregory, backed up by the dynamic duo of linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch. The secondary was led by Byron Jones and supported with key players like Anthony Brown, Xavier Woods, Chidobe Awuzie, Jeff Heath, and Jourdan Lewis.

Personal Observation: That 2018 was the real deal and the best defense the Cowboys had fielded in nearly a decade.

Fast forward to 2019, and the Cowboys defense was mediocre at best and was not the carbon copy of the defense from 2018. The only bright spot on the Cowboys defense last season was Byron Jones, and now the Dallas Cowboys are about to lose Jones in free agency- when they can easily afford him.

Quite frankly, not re-signing Jones is the wrong move and sends the wrong message to this team and their rising stars. Dallas needs Jones’s services as bad I need shaving cream and a razor to shave the stubbles off of my bald head.

Not only was Jones a top-2 corner in the NFL last season, but Jones was the best defensive player on the team. Never mind he recorded zero interceptions. Basically, Jones shut down opposing teams best receivers and although he lacked the interceptions, Jones covered them like a blanket, rarely got burned, and at least knocked the ball when possible.

If the corner’s main responsibility is to not allow the the wide receiver to catch the ball, and the corner does his job consistently of not allowing the receiver to catch the ball, does interceptions really matter? It’s good to have them, but guess what? The receiver still didn’t catch the ball, and now that offense is stagnant because its number one receiver can’t get open.

In 2019, only 53.1 percent of passes was completed against Jones, and that speaks volumes. Staff writer Dan Ruppert wrote an article explaining the elite level of Jones as a corner.

Dan explains how Jones’ 53.1 completion percentage is among the best corners in league-the New England Patriots Stephon Gilmore had a 50.5 percent against him and Pittsburgh Steelers Joe Haden had 53.7 percent against him.

If Jones walks, Dallas’ secondary will sink below average because nobody can cover like Jones covered, The secondary is immune to interceptions expect for Jourdan Lewis, but Lewis is still learning how to cover.