Diving into the Dallas Cowboys cornerbacks: No fly zone

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

LCB. Worley

RCB. Diggs

SS. Clinton-Dix

FS. Chido

Worley and Chido are interchangeable according to some reports. But its going to be interesting to see how things shake out with our secondary and our defensive line.

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Clinton-Dix would be a very bad SS

CCBoy said:

Diving into the Dallas Cowboys cornerbacks: No fly zone
https://thelandryhat.com/2020/05/06/dallas-cowboys-cornerbacks-no-fly-zone/



...Every season, he has been overshadowed due to his former teammate Byron Jones. As the number two corner, Awuzie has held his own. Jones had emerged as one of the better cornerbacks in the league, forcing quarterbacks to opt for Awuzie instead. Despite that effort, he has played well.

The 2018 season was when he officially became a starter. In that season, he had 71 tackles, 11 passes defended, and one interception in 15 games. He also added a forced fumble. Quarterbacks were held to a 56.8 percent completion percentage and a 96.4 passer rating. He also gave up an average of 14.3 yards per completion. While this doesn’t sound amazing, Awuzie made sure he took a step up in 2019.

This time around he played a full season. The second-round pick got eight more tackles and three more passes defended than the season prior. Only one pass was picked off and he didn’t force a fumble, but he did recover one. Awuzie’s advanced stats were much better in 2019, backing up his case as a player improving season after season. The completion percentage was three percent higher, but the yards per completion dropped by 2.2 yards and the passer rating dropped to 89.1. Sure, his stats aren’t off the charts, but they are good. He rightfully deserves the opportunity to play as the number one cornerback. This season is his opportunity...

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I like Awuzie. I think he might be a jack of all, master of none at CB. I do however think he might be better as a #2 in the NFL. He is my odds on favorite to be the #1 CB this year. But if they play more press man, I think Diggs could challenge for that role despite being a rookie.

I still feel Awuzie is a candidate for an extension

darthseinfeld said:

Clinton-Dix would be a very bad SS

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In today's pass happy NFL box safeties are becoming extinct. More and more teams are wanting their SS to have good coverage skills, to take on some of these explosive tightends.

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

In today's pass happy NFL box safeties are becoming extinct. More and more teams are wanting their SS to have good coverage skills, to take on some of these explosive tightends.

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Box Safeties are definitely not extinct lol. The best Safety in the NFL is a box Safety. The best up and coming Safety ( James) is a box Safety. Tackling is critical to playing SS and its not just in the run game.

Clinton-Dix is a CF type FS. Putting him at SS take away his strength and highlights his weakness

I'm encouraged over the talent that we will field in the secondary. That's not to say there won't be a period of learning for the youngsters, though. Their talent levels should stand them in good stead, however. We should be solid and likely improved in all areas once familiarity has taken hold.

darthseinfeld said:

Box Safeties are definitely not extinct lol. The best Safety in the NFL is a box Safety. The best up and coming Safety ( James) is a box Safety. Tackling is critical to playing SS and its not just in the run game.

Clinton-Dix is a CF type FS. Putting him at SS take away his strength and highlights his weakness

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Not having interchangeable safeties can hurt a defense at times. Not having a true box safety can hurt a defense at times. So its a pick your poison situation. Very few strong safeties can do it all. Which one of Dallas' old box safeties would you want back as a starter? None? Why is that?

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

Not having interchangeable safeties can hurt a defense at times. Not having a true box safety can hurt a defense at times. So its a pick your poison situation. Very few strong safeties can do it all. Which one of Dallas' old box safeties would you want back as a starter? None? Why is that?

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That doesnt mean I want Clinton-Dix there lol. Clinton-Dix is pure FS. Woods is a better fit a SS than Clinton-Dix

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

Sometimes it's not about beating out this player or that player. Sometimes it's about coaches preference. Jason Witten automatically getting his starting job back last year is a good example. Dak over Romo is another. When there is not a competition to be had, its coaches preference. Some guys aren't given a chance to win a starting job.

If there was an open competition Wilson would win hands down, IMO.

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Hopefully mcarthy doesn't hand over jobs like Garrett

darthseinfeld said:

That doesnt mean I want Clinton-Dix there lol. Clinton-Dix is pure FS. Woods is a better fit a SS than Clinton-Dix

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Yeah but Woods is more of a hitter than a tackler. To tell you the truth I'd rather see Wilson at SS and Woods at FS. The predicted starters that I laid out in my earlier post is what I expect. Not what I prefer. Because I'm kind of expecting this staff to hand out starting jobs instead of letting players compete for them.

stilltheguru said:

Hopefully mcarthy doesn't hand over jobs like Garrett

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I hope not, but I fully expect that to be the case.

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

Yeah but Woods is more of a hitter than a tackler. To tell you the truth I'd rather see Wilson at SS and Woods at FS. The predicted starters that I laid out in my earlier post is what I expect. Not what I prefer. Because I'm kind of expecting this staff to hand out starting jobs instead of letting players compete for them.

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Clinton-Dix is neither a hitter nor a tackler. Tackling is why he has been such a well traveled Safety. His strength as a player is deep Safety in coverage. Putting him at SS completely negates his strength, and exposed his weakness further.

Its too early for me to make any kind of guess on Wilson. He played well in preseason, but he didnt play SS in preseason. He played FS. I don't see him beating Woods out at SS. Woods has NFL in man coverage, he covered the slot significantly as a rookie. He is probably well ahead of Wilson as a player right now. I could see Wilson getting some reps in subpackages, but I dont see him beating Woods in an open competition

darthseinfeld said:

Clinton-Dix is neither a hitter nor a tackler. Tackling is why he has been such a well traveled Safety. His strength as a player is deep Safety in coverage. Putting him at SS completely negates his strength, and exposed his weakness further.

Its too early for me to make any kind of guess on Wilson. He played well in preseason, but he didnt play SS in preseason. He played FS. I don't see him beating Woods out at SS. Woods has NFL in man coverage, he covered the slot significantly as a rookie. He is probably well ahead of Wilson as a player right now. I could see Wilson getting some reps in subpackages, but I dont see him beating Woods in an open competition

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If its a legit open competition i think Wilson beats out Woods and im higher on Woods than most on here

CCBoy said:

Diving into the Dallas Cowboys cornerbacks: No fly zone
https://thelandryhat.com/2020/05/06/dallas-cowboys-cornerbacks-no-fly-zone/



...Every season, he has been overshadowed due to his former teammate Byron Jones. As the number two corner, Awuzie has held his own. Jones had emerged as one of the better cornerbacks in the league, forcing quarterbacks to opt for Awuzie instead. Despite that effort, he has played well.

The 2018 season was when he officially became a starter. In that season, he had 71 tackles, 11 passes defended, and one interception in 15 games. He also added a forced fumble. Quarterbacks were held to a 56.8 percent completion percentage and a 96.4 passer rating. He also gave up an average of 14.3 yards per completion. While this doesn’t sound amazing, Awuzie made sure he took a step up in 2019.

This time around he played a full season. The second-round pick got eight more tackles and three more passes defended than the season prior. Only one pass was picked off and he didn’t force a fumble, but he did recover one. Awuzie’s advanced stats were much better in 2019, backing up his case as a player improving season after season. The completion percentage was three percent higher, but the yards per completion dropped by 2.2 yards and the passer rating dropped to 89.1. Sure, his stats aren’t off the charts, but they are good. He rightfully deserves the opportunity to play as the number one cornerback. This season is his opportunity...

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Late in games Chido starts to tighten up and his hips get stiff. It's weird - he breaks the internet hitting 22mph chasing down Barkley then struggles to trail WRs. I have no idea what he is half the time.

He only had 3 career INTs in college and 3 in 3yrs the pros. He's probably never going to be a ball hawk.

No Fly Zone is right up there with Hot Boyz. Let's make sure we get a nickname first and worry about really living up to it later.

...Let’s take a quick look at the cornerbacks they’ll take into the Summer with the number of snaps played in the NFL per Pro Football Focus.

• Daryl Worley – 3,556 snaps from 2016-2019
• Anthony Brown – 3,186 snaps from 2016-2019
• Chidobe Awuzie – 2,573 snaps from 2017-2019
• Jourdan Lewis – 1,806 snaps from 2017-2019
• Maurice Canady – 1,216 snaps from 2016-2019
• C.J. Goodwin – 1,196 snaps from 2014-2019
• Trevon Diggs – Rookie Second Round Pick
• Reggie Robinson – Rookie Fourth Round Pick
• Saivion Smith – Practice Squad Player in 2019
• Chris Westry – Practice Squad Player in 2019

In addition to re-signing Anthony Brown and C.J. Goodwin in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys added five cornerbacks to the depth chart this offseason. The signed Daryl Worley, Maurice Canady, and Saivion Smith in free agency and drafted Trevon Digs and Reggie Robinson.

The goal has been apparent from the beginning.

Mike Nolan, Maurice Linguist, and Al Harris have been trying to find cornerbacks that are big, fast, and aggressive. Each of those additions will have an opportunity to carve out a role with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 and beyond...


https://insidethestar.com/numbers-at-cornerback-will-provide-answers-for-dallas-cowboys/

I have a lot of concerns with our secondary. A lot of new faces equals the need for chemistry building. Hopefully they're all natural together.

Cebrin said:

I have a lot of concerns with our secondary. A lot of new faces equals the need for chemistry building. Hopefully they're all natural together.

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A lot of that group is in the wheelhouse for growth as a professional.

With all the talk about the coaching staff discussing possibly moving a corner to safety, paired with the signing of Ha Ha, I can't help but wonder what this means for Xavier Woods? I think he's still the best safety on the roster, so would a move like that be for depth or to push him down? — JAMES MITCHELL / INDIANAPOLIS, IN

Jonny: I won't pretend to know exactly what Woods' role will be going forward, but I think the notion of moving him around isn't about doubting his potential. I would argue it's the opposite. Woods was a sixth-round pick who has consistently earned his time on the field and shown abilities to learn and adapt over his career. If Woods is able to succeed at a different position and it allows the Cowboys to put their most talented players on the field then that's an example of his value.

Nick: Honestly, you just throw them all out there and see how plays the best. I know it sounds simple, but sometimes it is. Maybe Ha Ha Clinton-Dix won't be that good here with the Cowboys. Maybe Xavier Woods is better than all of them. And maybe someone like a Jourdan Lewis or Chido or another cornerback slides over and plays well. I think Woods is pretty good, but the position could use an upgrade. I think Woods will end up starting, but if someone legitimately beats him out, then that's a good thing for the team.

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/mailbag-concerned-about-the-depth-at-de

I’m optimistic about our secondary.. but the phrase “ no fly zone “ is a trade mark for the Broncos sb winning secondary.

...When the Dallas Cowboys lost Byron Jones to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, it left them with a big hole at corner. In the NFL Draft, the Cowboys addressed the position in the second round by taking Trevon Diggs out of Alabama, a long and physical 6’1 205-pounder with excellent ball skills (thanks to his days as a receiver). In the fourth round, they doubled dipped at corner by selecting Reggie Robinson from Tulsa, another long and physical corner who could transition to safety if need be.

These two young studs could very well be the Cowboys starters on the outside in 2020, especially with rumors of Chidobe Awuzie possibly moving to safety. However, the nickel or slot corner position will have an interesting battle for supremacy between Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown. Brown has a ton of experience in his first four years in the league after being drafted by the Cowboys in 2016 out of Purdue. He’s started 34 of the 56 games he’s been available to play in racking up 172 tackles, 32 pass breakups, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and three sacks.

Lewis was taken in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Michigan and immediately showed he was a player. Totaling 54 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and an interception in seven starts Lewis looked to take the next step in his progression the following season, but there was a little hiccup. The Cowboys hired Kris Richard as the team’s defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. Richard preferred long and lengthy corners, and at 5’10, Lewis got lost in the shuffle. He would only register 12 tackles, a pass breakup, an interception, and two fumble recoveries.

In 2019, however, Lewis got to see a lot of action due to Brown missing seven games with multiple injuries, and he took full advantage. Lewis had his best season as a pro with 51 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, four sacks, and a fumble recovery (ran back for a touchdown). Showing the talent that made him one of the top corners coming out of college two years earlier, Lewis has put his name at the top of the list as far as nickel corners go for the Cowboys.

This will be an interesting battle to keep an eye on during the summer. Brown just signed a three-year deal worth 15.5 million in March, that coupled with him recovering from an injury, he’ll have plenty of motivation to reclaim his spot. Lewis is out to prove, again, that despite his height he’s a baller. Also, this is a contract year for him so he’ll be looking to secure the bag as well. Lewis’s consistency and ball-hawking ability give him the edge, but regardless of who wins, the Cowboys have two really good nickel corners on their roster...

https://insidethestar.com/will-jourdan-lewis-or-anthony-brown-be-the-cowboys-top-nickel-cb-in-2020/