The Dallas Cowboys have failed to make it work this season without their top player in Tony Romo. Because of the absence of Romo, the Cowboys have had to rely on Matt Cassel and Brandon Weeden to man the oh-so-important quarterback position. That’s brought a ton of stagnancy as well as inconsistency for the offense. That’s also meant more field-time for the defense. Because of that, the Cowboys’ defense has looked both good and bad this season.
Despite not being mathematically eliminated, the Cowboys have to start thinking about the 2016 season. When you’re playing for nothing, the best thing to do is make decisions about your team and see who should stay and who should go.
With the offseason approaching, the Cowboys’ attention also turns to the draft. One position I think the team will target is the cornerback position. I don’t believe Morris Claiborne will return to the team with his contract ending this season. I think this offseason will finally be the time where the Cowboys designate Brandon Carr as a June 1st cut.
Orlando Scandrick will be coming back. The return of the Cowboys’ best cover cornerback will be huge, but if Carr and Claiborne aren’t here in 2016, and Byron Jones does indeed make the transition to the free safety position, the Cowboys will have their concerns at the cornerback position. Despite the chances of all of this happening, the Cowboys decided to cut second-year Tyler Patmon late Tuesday afternoon.
Given extended time this season because of injuries, Patmon hasn’t played that badly in my opinion. Because of a hamstring injury to Claiborne which caused him to miss a couple of games, Jones was forced into the No. 2 cornerback position. Patmon was inserted into the nickel cornerback role, a role I didn’t think he played too poorly in.
In 11 games this season, two where he in fact started, Patmon had just 13 tackles. Usually, a low tackle number for a cornerback means that you’re not getting beat. In his year-and-a-half tenure in Dallas, Patmon had one interception, which came last year against the Arizona Cardinals. That interception was returned for a touchdown.
Already thin at the position, this decision raises my eyebrows. Patmon wasn’t a stud, but he was a guy that didn’t cost much at the age of 24 years old. With three games remaining, it will be interesting to see who the Cowboys fill with this roster spot.
