The Dallas Cowboys used not one, not two, not even three, but four draft picks on defensive backs in the 2017 NFL Draft in hopes of overhauling their secondary. The Cowboys secondary was pretty much gutted after the 2016 season, so wasn’t that big of a surprise they invested so much draft equity on defensive backs. But, there was no way of knowing if they would be ready to play key roles as rookies.
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing how well rookies will respond once they enter into the NFL. Some players just take longer to adjust to the speed of the game, while others are able to start right away.
Due to injuries, the Cowboys secondary didn’t really have the luxury of sitting and waiting to see if there rookies were ready or not. They had to insert them into the lineup pretty much right away and hope they were ready. It was pretty much baptism by fire.
Not everything has been sunshine and rainbows for the Cowboy secondary though. But, at least one person has been impressed with the influx of youth on the back end of the defense through the first four weeks of the 2017 season.
Through four games, Jerry Jones is excited about the trio of defensive backs he drafted this past spring. pic.twitter.com/AGcJKzeo1Y
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) October 3, 2017
General manager/owner Jerry Jones seems to be really excited about the future of the Cowboy secondary, and I would have to agree. Jourdan Lewis and Xavier Woods have already been one of the few bright spots on the Cowboys defense, but a healthy Chidobe Awuzie should only help improve things in the Cowboy secondary.
Awuzie is a versatile player who played every position in the secondary at Colorado. I believe he was going to do the same with the Cowboys, but unfortunately injuries have prevented that from happening. But, it has opened the door for Xavier Woods, and he has stepped up to the challenge.
If you read between the lines in Jerry Jones statement, you might just notice he could be indicating we are going to see a lot more of Xavier Woods in the near future, possibly against Green Bay. Whether that is at cornerback or safety is yet to be determined, but it could possibly mean Jeff Heath is looking at a decrease in playtime.
Jeff Heath hasn’t exactly performed very well as a starter so far this season, so the Cowboys could possibly be looking at switching things up in the secondary. Both Xavier Woods and Chidobe Awuzie are likely in the running to challenge Heath for more playing time, but we will have to wait and see how that turns out.
The trio of Awuzie, Lewis, and Woods already look to be starting caliber players and likely the future of the Cowboys secondary. All three had outstanding collegiate careers and so far it’s looking as if they are carrying it over at the NFL level.
I don’t know about you, but I agree with Jerry Jones. Even though the Cowboys secondary has seen their fair share of bumps and bruises already, I think the future looks bright.
I see it is a work in process but the offensive line is really a big concern
It is definitely a work in progress, but there are already signs the rookie defensive backs could be something special. I’m personally not that concerned about the offensive line. They started off shaky last season before rounding into form and I think they will do the same thing this year.
Heath was never a starter anyway, he knly got the spot because of tjme in service… Hes akways bedn a special teams player, abd just a spot duty fill in on a few packages…
I think he deserved a shot to be the starter based on what he has been able to with limited reps, but he hasn’t been able to prove himself. It’s time to look at someone else.
Replace Jeff Heath. God bless his heart!
I don’t think he will be completely replaced, but I think Jeff Heath will likely see a decrease in snaps
From what I saw of the game, Sunday, the defense has nothing to brag about. That secondary Jerry likes so much couldn’t stop the Cardinals from winning the game.
I think you mean the Rams, because the Cowboys beat the Cardinals. This secondary is patch worked together right now. Young players playing big roles, but they’ve performed pretty well. They were just on the field too long against the Rams last week.
Some good points, Brian and, yes, it was the Rams. Thanks for the correction. From what I’ve been reading lately, it seems they’re (the media) putting it all back on Zack’s shoulders again. In my opinion, the defense had just as much todo with the final score as the offense, which did manage to score 30 points.
I think you mean Dak’s shoulders. That’s typically what happens when you are the QB, especially for America’s Team.
I absolutely agree
These young guys have been pretty good and will only get better with the more they play. I think they will start cutting into Jeff Heath’s playing time
Brian I wholeheartedly agree with Jerry as well. The backend of the Cowboys defense will only get better with time. Especially, if the Cowboys defense makes the postseason, unlike previous years.
They’ve actually played better than a lot of people think. Unfortunately, everybody wants to be instantly gratified and tend to focus too much on the negatives.
Well Brian, what do you think after 2 months has come and gone about our secondary now? IMO I believe Lewis may have the ability to be a shut down type of corner! We haven’t seen enough of Awuzie to see what all he can bring to the table and Woods looks like he is gonna be a hard hitting stud at safety! Jury is still out on Taco because I believe DLaw and Irving had taken all the honors which is well deserved and Collins/Menoya is solid as well so I think we have a young core group of D-linemen, not leaving out Crawford as well. I believe we need a sold linebacker and another top notch Wr and O-lineman and not in that order in this years draft…