Dallas Cowboys: Don’t rule out Daryl Worley as a starting CB in 2020

Daryl Worley, a late Dallas Cowboys free agent addition, may be in contention for a starting CB spot

The addition of free agent cornerback Daryl Worley largely flew under the radar. Overshadowed by the Dallas Cowboys epic haul over draft weekend, most of the buzz surrounded the rookies, not the afterthought.

But that “afterthought” may have been a plan all along, and Daryl Worley could ultimately be the Dallas Cowboys starting CB in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.

Daryl Worely, a former CB1 in Oakland, has never been the highest regarded cornerback. Oakland proactively replaced him with young players they were hoping to groom and made him available to Dallas for a reason. His ceiling is limited.

The 6-foot-1, 205lb cornerback has the size and length Will McClay looks for in his defensive backs. His 40-time of 4.64 limits him to Cover-2 and Man-2 looks since a safety is required over the top, but his physicality and ball-skills make him ideal in the right situation matched against the right receiver.

How much Cover 1 and Cover 3 Dallas plays will determine how useful a guy like Worley is for the Cowboys. He’s going to struggle covering that much territory and will be vulnerable for big plays that require better speed.

Still, it’s easy to see Worley endearing himself to the Dallas Cowboys defensive coaching staff. He was said to be a favorite of Jon Gruden and played a leadership role in the Raiders secondary.

Daryl Worley joins a Dallas Cowboys secondary in flux. Nearly every position is up for grabs and with the ability and experience to play both cornerback and safety, Worley could be in the mix just about anywhere.

The former third round pick has thrived against bigger bodied receivers and tight ends. It’s easy to see he’ll be deployed situationally in 2020 that plays to his strengths and hides his weaknesses.

Ideally, Dallas will start Trevon Diggs at one of their outside CB spots, but he carries with him a ton of questions marks since he has yet to play a down in the NFL, and as a former WR, he’s not the most polished prospect entering the mix.

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Chidobe Awuzie is another player we have questions about. He’s the incumbent starter on the outside but the Cowboys coaching staff has gone on record saying they’ll try him at safety this season. As I discussed last week – his final location will likely have more to do with the players around him than the position he’s actually best at.

All of this uncertainty indicates Daryl Worley will be given a shot at being a starter this season. While being the permanent solution on the boundary isn’t ideal, it makes sense on a weekly basis. The former third round pick is young, experienced and disciplined. If the Dallas Cowboys can use him to his strengths and disguise his weakness, he could be an important addition to the team this season.

Hopefully the Dallas Cowboys won’t need Daryl Worley to be the fulltime starter at CB this season but in case no one steps up into the role, it’s nice to know a 49 game starter is waiting in the wings.

• Published on 06/23/2020 at 16:01 PM
• Last updated at 06/23/2020 at 09:54 AM