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Cowboys rookie defensive backs catch Dez Bryant's eye
9:00 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Seeing the look as the ball was snapped, Dez Bryant raised his hands signaling a touchdown. He just knew Kellen Moore would find Terrance Williams in the corner of the end zone.
Moore’s throw was in a perfect spot to the back corner pylon, giving Williams the best chance to catch it. But rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis was having none of it. He went up and through Williams to knock the ball away for an incomplete pass.
“He’s really sticky in coverage,” secondary coach Joe Baker said of Lewis, the Dallas Cowboys’ third-round pick. “I would say, yes, that’s one of his big strengths. Absolutely.”
The Cowboys didn’t exactly overhaul their secondary in 2017. It was overhauled for them when Barry Church, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and J.J. Wilcox left via free agency. They added Nolan Carroll and Robert Blanton, a safety, in free agency but really looked to the draft to replace their losses.
Of their nine draft picks, four were defensive backs with Chidobe Awuzie in the second round, Lewis in the third round, and Xavier Woods and Marquez White in the sixth round. In some fashion, the Cowboys could need all of them to play a role defensively this season.
“We had a lot of turnover in the secondary so we’re going to look at a lot of different guys,” Baker said. “We’re excited about these guys, that’s why we selected them. We love their passion, their energy, their intelligence, toughness, all those things. We expect to see all those qualities when we’re out there playing.”
Awuzie has played all over the secondary as an outside corner, slot corner and as a dime player in the six defensive back package. Byron Jones was asked to do similar things his rookie year as well.
“Certain guys you put a little more on, like Chido, because he has the versatility and the intelligence to handle it,” Baker said. “Most of our guys are playing one or two positions, and that’s just going to help us down the road because you never know what the group is going to look like. It’s nice to know, hey, if a guy has to go play nickel in Week 12, he at least has the foundation to go in there and have a chance to be successful.”
The rookie defensive backs also have a fan in Bryant.
“They’ve got attitude, and that’s what I’m all about. Don’t get in front of me being all scared. I’ll expose it,” Bryant said. “That’s something they’re not doing. They’re ready for battle, and that’s what you need -- because this is the NFL, this is no longer college. If you food, you gonna be ate, and I think they understand that. They come out with a nice mentality, and I like the grit that they have. They’re ballers."
9:00 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Seeing the look as the ball was snapped, Dez Bryant raised his hands signaling a touchdown. He just knew Kellen Moore would find Terrance Williams in the corner of the end zone.
Moore’s throw was in a perfect spot to the back corner pylon, giving Williams the best chance to catch it. But rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis was having none of it. He went up and through Williams to knock the ball away for an incomplete pass.
“He’s really sticky in coverage,” secondary coach Joe Baker said of Lewis, the Dallas Cowboys’ third-round pick. “I would say, yes, that’s one of his big strengths. Absolutely.”
The Cowboys didn’t exactly overhaul their secondary in 2017. It was overhauled for them when Barry Church, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and J.J. Wilcox left via free agency. They added Nolan Carroll and Robert Blanton, a safety, in free agency but really looked to the draft to replace their losses.
Of their nine draft picks, four were defensive backs with Chidobe Awuzie in the second round, Lewis in the third round, and Xavier Woods and Marquez White in the sixth round. In some fashion, the Cowboys could need all of them to play a role defensively this season.
“We had a lot of turnover in the secondary so we’re going to look at a lot of different guys,” Baker said. “We’re excited about these guys, that’s why we selected them. We love their passion, their energy, their intelligence, toughness, all those things. We expect to see all those qualities when we’re out there playing.”
Awuzie has played all over the secondary as an outside corner, slot corner and as a dime player in the six defensive back package. Byron Jones was asked to do similar things his rookie year as well.
“Certain guys you put a little more on, like Chido, because he has the versatility and the intelligence to handle it,” Baker said. “Most of our guys are playing one or two positions, and that’s just going to help us down the road because you never know what the group is going to look like. It’s nice to know, hey, if a guy has to go play nickel in Week 12, he at least has the foundation to go in there and have a chance to be successful.”
The rookie defensive backs also have a fan in Bryant.
“They’ve got attitude, and that’s what I’m all about. Don’t get in front of me being all scared. I’ll expose it,” Bryant said. “That’s something they’re not doing. They’re ready for battle, and that’s what you need -- because this is the NFL, this is no longer college. If you food, you gonna be ate, and I think they understand that. They come out with a nice mentality, and I like the grit that they have. They’re ballers."
