In order to hopefully improve the production in the secondary, the Dallas Cowboys decided to pretty much completely overhaul the entire backend of their defense. With all of the new faces expected to play key roles in the secondary, no one really knew how things would turn out. It is still somewhat of a mystery considering the mixed bag of results through the first three weeks of the season, but there are signs things are indeed improving.
Of course, not everything has been rainbows and sunshine for the Dallas Cowboys secondary. Injuries have hit them pretty hard through the first three weeks, but that has also created opportunities for some of their younger players, such as rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
The former Michigan standout cornerback, Jourdan Lewis, was the Dallas Cowboys third round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Despite arguably having first-round talent, he slid right into the Cowboys lap in the third round for two reasons.
First, he had a domestic violence charge filed against him and that didn’t even go to court until after the draft and before preseason. Teams were probably wary of drafting him because of the unknown of the DV charge, but fortunately he was acquitted. Secondly, due to his size he was believed to be regulated only to the slot in the NFL and slot CBs typically don’t get drafted very highly.
Due to Lewis’ previous mentioned court date for domestic violence, he had to show up after the Dallas Cowboys training camp was already underway. This already put him behind the eight ball, but things got even worse when he sustained a hamstring injury that kept him out all of training camp and preseason. This also carried over into the season and forced him to miss the Week 1 match up with the New York Giants.
Jourdan Lewis was finally active for the first time in his NFL career in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos and unfortunately it was kind of baptism by fire for the rookie. The Cowboys were forced to play Lewis due to injuries, but despite missing so much time during the off-season, he performed above expectations. Lewis finished the game with six tackles and his first career interception in the NFL.
Lewis was once again thrust into action due to injuries the following week against the Arizona Cardinals and once again held his own. QB Carson Palmer targeted Lewis nine times, but was only able to complete five of those passes for 33 yards. Lewis finished the game with six tackles, one tackle for loss, and a pass defensed.
Now, I don’t know how much credibility Pro Football Focus has with their grading, but they awarded Lewis an 87.6 grade against the Cardinals. They also have him graded out as the 11th best CB in the NFL, with a score of 83.8. That puts him in some pretty good company among cornerbacks around the NFL.
With two pretty good games under his belt, it’s hard to argue that Jourdan Lewis’ playing time won’t increase. He’s played so well in fact that he could be looking at earning a starting role.
Now, I know this may be jumping the gun a little because it is really early in the season still. But, injuries have already given him a leg up on the competition. Nolan Carroll had to miss last week because of a concussion and unfortunately didn’t play very well prior to that injury. Injuries have also been a problem for Chidobe Awuzie and Orlando Scandrick this season.
The fact Lewis has stepped up when needed and proved to be capable of handling a starting role probably hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaching staff. I personally believe Lewis can start in the slot or on the outside, much like the Cowboys second year CB Anthony Brown. Both Brown and Lewis are roughly the same size, and both already have one INT under their belt this season.
Jourdan Lewis still has a ways to go in order to lock down a starting role, but it’s comforting to know that he is more than capable of doing so if needed.
Another good read, Brian. I think Lewis has played extremely well considering the disadvantages he’s had (whether his fault or not) that you pointed out in your article. DB is definitely one of the hardest positions to play in the NFL. If the kid is playing well, in my opinion he SHOULD be rewarded with the starting role. I believe this draft is going to turn out to be another gem for Dallas, although I know that I’m probably being overly optimistic. But that’s the way I try to look at everything, not just football.
Thanks James. I agree with you. I think Lewis deserves a bigger role on defense. He will probably only continue to get better the more he plays. I also agree with you about this draft class. It probably won’t have the star power as the 2016 draft class, but I think there will be some big contributors like Lewis.
I always like your articles because you ask the questions fans have on their minds. I wouldn’t have a problem flipping Jourdan for Nolan. He needs the reps and the jump from his 1st to 2nd game was huge. Love how he tackles. From the injury report it looks like Jourdan and Carrol are FULL to go. Let Nolan back him up. Sorry, but Jourdan impresses and Nolan doesn’t. To me that was Nolan’s role ~ to be the bridge for this rookie class of DBs and Lewis has crossed it. I also want to see more of Woods. In the preseason against the Rams he was all over the field. Kavon is questionable as of right now, so hopefully Xavier will see more reps. As intriguing as our offense was last year, it is the defense that I watch most intently this year.
Christopher, I try to write articles that the readers want to read about. I’m glad that you enjoy them. And I completely agree with you about Lewis. I think he has played better than Nolan already in his young career. I also think we will see more of Woods, because I think the Cowboys will probably playing with a lot more DBs on the field like they did against the Cardinals. We also could see Woods stealing some reps from Heath as the season progresses. There is going to be some growing pains with the young players, but they also show quite a bit of promise.
I agree with James as well in believing that the 2017 draft class for the Cowboyz is starting to look as though we have gotten some gems on the defensive side of the ball. Well timed and what a overhaul it will be if Lewis,Awuzie,Woods and Taco all are above average talents that supplant aging veterans and not drop off in production…. Super excited about our future and the direction we are heading for and that’s a Super Bowl…. Of course I myself am completely biased, but I actually had Lewis and Awuzie as 2 of the top 5 cb’s in the draft….
Steve, I actually had Lewis and Awuzie graded out as fringe first-round talents. I was really excited that the Dallas Cowboys were able to draft both players where they did. The 2017 draft class for the Cowboys will without a doubt have some growing pains, but I think nearly all of them can develop into starters. Some of them may be this year, but the majority of them by year two.