By Mark Garrison
The Eagles are desperate for secondary help and the dreaded Cowboys just gave them a shot at a quality free agent cornerback.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones reiterated yesterday that the team expects to keep both Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper.
No such guarantee for Byron Jones, who’s started 73 games since Dallas selected him in the first round of the 2015 draft
“He’s had a great run at corner,” Stephen Jones told Dallas reporters yesterday from the NFL scouting combine. “Byron’s a guy we think a lot of.”
The difference of opinion hinges on price. In five seasons with Dallas, Byron Jones has notched 347 tackles and allowed an average of 6.2 yards per target in pass coverage. He played both corner and safety as a rookie, as the Cowboys tried to capitalize on the same athleticism that powered Jones to a world-record, 12-foot-3 broad jump at the 2015 NFL combine. Jones then spent two seasons at safety, before playing 2018 and 2019 at cornerback. He was tight in coverage and selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018. But through five seasons, Jones has forced few takeaways. He’s intercepted just two passes and forced three fumbles in 79 games.
