That's pretty much what I was thinking. You could change their roles permanently if you really wanted to. While Byron isn't exactly a thumper I don't think he'd have a problem playing in the box more. Keep him closer to the Los to jam TE's and bigger WR's in the slot.
I think Byron gets too much flack around here at times, he's actually pretty damn good. But the 1 thing he's proved is that he's not much of a playmaker. I think it's important to pair him with someone who can make plays in the secondary which allows Byron to continue to be an asset in coverage. Just need that player to not be a liability in run support...I think King, Maye, and Sanders-Williams all fit the bill perfectly. Just a matter if 1 falls to 60
I agree that Byron Jones is much better than many fans believe. He was a big part of the reason the secondary looked better in 2016 despite having basically the same surrounding players and the same middling pass rush. He covered up a lot issues. Garrett was adamant that someone other than Jones screwed something up on that final play in the Packers game. Garrett is rarely that specific, but he made it clear that he was irritated with someone other than Jones.
I still think Jones can be more of a play-maker if the surrounding players are better. If you really think about all of the limitations with the 2016 defense, it's amazing they played as well as they did, IMO. Church, Carr and Hitchens all had below average range in coverage. Claiborne is scheme limited due to mental issues. Brown was a rookie. Scandick was limited due to his knee (and possible some other issue) which hopefully is back to 100% this season. The pass rush was obviously limited. The primary differences from 2015 were Jones at FS and the change in DB coaches.
This season could be better or it could be a struggle due to so much change. I'm in favor of not retaining the same ole players like Carr and Church, but it's a lot of change in 1 season.
If Jaylon can play near his college level, that could fix a lot of problems. If healthy, he projected to be one of the best coverage LBs in the league and one of the best pass rushing 4-3 LBs.
I do have some concern about Jones taking too many snaps in the box. At 6-1, 199 too many blocks from OL and big TEs can take a toll.
I'm curious to see if Kavon Frazier has anything. In college he seemed like lot like Barry Church but a little more athletic.
