We went into the 2017 NFL Draft knowing that the Dallas Cowboys needed to add talent to their secondary. They clearly knew it too, spending four of their top-six picks on defensive backs. Now, the question is what all these new arrivals mean for the current talent and the projected final roster.
To get us started, let’s quickly recap the personnel moves since the end of last season. The Cowboys said goodbye to several key players in free agency while adding a couple of veteran replacements.
DEPARTURES
- CB Brandon Carr (click here for full story)
- CB Morris Claiborne (click here for full story)
- S Barry Church (click here for full story)
- S J.J. Wilcox (click here for full story)
ARRIVALS
- CB Nolan Carroll (click here for full story)
- S Robert Blanton (click here for full story)
RETURNING
- CB Orlando Scandrick
- CB Anthony Brown
- S Byron Jones
- S Jeff Heath
- S Kavon Frazier
There are the primary names to be concern with. There are other players under contract, such as cornerback Leon McFadden and quarteback-turned-safety Jameil Showers. However, these guys are likely no more than training camp bodies. We’re going to focus on the guys who figure to be on the 2017 roster.
Draft Impact
As we said at the outset, Dallas clearly recognized their needs and last week’s draft reflected it. The Cowboys drafted two  on Friday night with Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis in the second and third rounds. On Saturday they spent sixth-round picks on safety Xavier Woods and CB Marquez White.
Generally a team will have 8-10 defensive backs on their 53-man roster. These draft picks in addition to the current talent gives Dallas 11 guys competing for spots. At least one guy, if not a couple more, will be left out.
Now, to be fair, sixth-round picks are hardly guaranteed to make the roster. You might make an exception in the case of Xavier Woods, though, given reports that Dallas had him highly ranked on their board.
Also, after seeing what Anthony Brown did last year as a sixth-round pick, you can be sure that Woods and Marquez White will not be taken lightly in the months ahead. Teams never cut drafted players lightly, so they will get every opportunity to make the team.
Cornerbacks
The fallout from the talent additions in the draft seems to have already started. On Friday night, just minutes after Dallas drafted Awuzie, reports started that the Cowboys were trying to trade veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick. Jerry Jones has since denied those reports by Scandrick, but Orlando has made comments through the media that suggest he thought the rumor was true.
For now, we’ll take Jerry at his word and assume Scandrick will still be a Cowboys in 2017. It makes more sense; can you really trust Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, and Awuzie to do the heavy lifting with just one year of combined experience? Do you really want Nolan Carroll as your only veteran corner?
The Cowboys’ hope will be that Awuzie, Brown, and Lewis develop to the point that Dallas trusts them to be their top three corners in 2018. They can then cut both Scandrick and Carroll for cap relief. Right now, cutting or trading Scandrick would generate more dead money ($6.16 million) than his 2017 cap hit ($5.28 million) counts.
The logical plan is for Dallas to have their top three youngsters and two veterans on this year’s roster. I would expect for Marquez White to end up on the practice squad unless and injury opens the door for him.
Safeties
If you’re a fan of Jeff Heath being a starter next year than this was a good draft week for you. Dallas did not add anyone in the upper rounds who would be expected to come in and compete immediately for the job. If anything, the Cowboys’ obvious focus on drafting defensive backs with ball skills speaks to why they are comfortable with Heath moving forward.
The addition of Xavier Woods in the sixth round should be far more concerning to projected backups Robert Blanton and Kavon Frazier. If we assume that there will only be the traditional two backups spots available, someone is going to be left without a chair when the music stops.
Even though he just signed with the team on April 20th, the veteran Blanton should probably be most concerned. We know it was a one-year deal don’t have details yet on the money. However, we can safely assume it’s a minimal amount and Dallas left themselves able to easily release Blanton depending on how the draft and the remainder of the offseason unfolded.
My current projection is that Heath and Byron Jones will start while Woods and Frazier are the backups. Blanton’s hope will be that neither of those young players show that they’re ready for major minutes and Dallas leans on the veteran as a primary reserve. However, Frazier will have every chance to earn that role in his second year.
PLS WOODS STEP UP QUICK…IM NOT SOLD ON HEALTH….
White won’t last on the practice squad.another team would steal him
I feel confident that Xavier will stay. He can play FS and in a pinch, SS. Heath is a great Special Teams guy and when he comes in to play Safety, good things happen. I think the competition is between Frazier and Blankton.
So when woods is our FS where do u put Byron Jones.. oh wait I get it Dallas just drafted 3 corner backs and singed one in free agency just to move our starting FS to corner. Yea that sounds like a plan..Hell they might as well try dez at QB he’s got a strong arm
Calm down, chief. He didn’t say Woods was going to be a starter.
Thanks. Took the words right out of my mouth. I do agree with Bryan about White on the PS.
For Scandrick, his contract vs field impact makes him a questionable trade prospect IMO. If you are committed to secondary youth, and several of the young players are showing well in camp, you might catch a team that will pull the trigger for Scandrick because they lost a starter in preseason, etc.
Might as well angle for that, and then he’s still around for camp if it looks like you’ll need him as a starter or slot CB in 2017.
My reading of Woods at his size, and again he has to deliver at camp, is that he can only play FS and is intended for there when he’s ready to start. That moves Jones to CB, and I like that idea opposite Awuzie. That’s a lot of ability at starting CB’s.
That would in turn allow Lewis & Brown to develop with less pressure as slot and long downs players. Making Scandrick expendable.
It all sets up for a fascinating camp. In 1981 Landry started 3 rookies in the secondary, and it turned into a strength of the team. There might be some kind of cohesion factor in coming up together.
B Jones is a lot better FS then a shut down corner. Lewis was the best cover corner in the draft who will play the slot Awuzie will play outside. And why would u sit brown there’s a real good chance he’s our best corner this year he had two picks one for a touchdown if u count preseason and played his ass off all year.and to say Xavier woods can’t play SS is pretty funny he’s yet to take the field and is already the hardest hitter we got on defense and really could ball skills..You may need to watch his game tape..He hits harder then Wilcox and covers better than church.. they replaced both of them when they picked woods.you can say I’m wrong but when he lines up day one splitting snaps with Heath go back and read this lol..
I agree that Brown’s not going to the bench. He is way better than sixth-round guy should be and now has a year of experience. He was arguably just as effective as any of our veteran guys last year. I see little chance that he’s not starting in 2017.
Starts with draft intentions on Woods. Almost certainly to eventually start, and almost certainly at FS not SS (too small at 5′ 11″ / 197).
Jones wasn’t given a full look at CB before moving inside. He has speed and can leap, and he’s not sitting behind Brown at CB, so that is where my shuffle puts them each.
It’s possible the idea is for Woods to bulk up for SS, but IMO that’s less likely than it is that Jones moves back to CB. We shall see.
I think we’re moving to something more like what Marinelli did in Chicago with two coverage safeties, not having the traditional SS. It makes sense when you think about how the Cover 2 works.
I think we’re moving to something more like what Marinelli did in Chicago with two coverage safeties, not having the traditional SS. It makes sense when you think about how the Cover 2 works.