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When the Dallas Cowboys selected Bryon Jones out of UConn in the first round of this year’s draft, they took a major step towards solving their depth issues at the cornerback position. They already had the solid and very productive Orlando Scandrick to play one side and the slot position if needed, as well as the up and down but currently overpaid Brandon Carr to man the other side. But after that, they were a little thin at that position heading into the 2015 season having only second-year player Tyler Patmon, first-round bust Morris Claiborne and an unknown commodity in Corey White from the New Orleans Saints.
So going into the draft, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys were hoping to find someone to initially play in their nickel packages and provide some support in the secondary when they face the pass-happy offenses of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. But they were also hoping that this player would eventually develop and grow into a weekly starter that had shutdown potential. And from the initial returns of OTAs and minicamp, they may have found just that player in Jones.
Jones is a tall and fairly big corner who has above average speed and good instincts on the field, which is exactly what you need to be successful in the NFL. He has a knack for knowing where the ball is headed and what routes are coming out of a formation, and his body control, when it comes to using his hips, helps him recover if he is initially beaten off the line.
The Cowboys love the fact that he has played and continues to show the ability to play both cornerback and safety, and it’s this versatility that will get him quite a bit of playing time when the season arrives. His main focus heading into training camp will be to learn every position in the secondary. He is currently already getting reps at both the outside and the slot cornerback positions as well as some looks at safety in a few of their special packages.
It was initially thought that he would have to fight with fourth-year bust Claiborne and free agent signee White for playing time at the third cornerback spot, but after seeing how athletic and smart he is on the field, there are now those who believe that he may be fighting for a starting spot on this team.
Kelly Anderson is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bgipp01 or add him to your network on Google.
