Tag: Byron Jones

Cowboys failures in free agency shouldn’t make them gun shy in 2021

The Dallas Cowboys swung and missed this past offseason, but it shouldn’t stop the team from being aggressive in the future.

It’s a lost season for the Dallas Cowboys, which has to have set in for the team and their fans. After losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and falling to 2-6, there is nothing that can save the Cowboys from the dumpster fire known as 2020.

It was a bad team with Dak Prescott and it’s even worse without him.

There’s also no shortage of blame for the Cowboys being in this predicament. Blame the coronavirus for not being allowed to adjust to a new coaching staff, blame the lack of a preseason to help a team going through growing pains with new schemes and we can even blame the injuries, which have crushed the team’s ability be who they wanted to be.

And it’s fine to blame the players who are actually on the field because they haven’t helped with the turnovers, penalties or overall poor play.

Of course the sexy thing to do is always blame the organization. Jerry and Stephen Jones are easy targets, after all they selected the players and decided who was worthy of paying. As most observers continue to hammer home, not securing Prescott long-term was a misstep and failing to sign re-sign CB Byron Jones remains an egregious error.

Those were two huge mistakes, but the Cowboys did operate differently this offseason. Instead of shopping in the basement for bargains, the franchise actually went out and spent some real money on veteran free agents to help.

DT’s Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe were good additions, even if Poe wasn’t the same player he once was. The team also brought in veteran saftey Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, CB’s Daryl Worley and Maurice Canady, and DE Aldon Smith to bulk up the defense.

Adding a capable backup QB like Andy Dalton was another strong move from and the Cowboys also signed versatile offensive lineman Cam Erving to pitch in if needed.

Most of the signings were good on paper, but just haven’t worked out.

Poe turned out to be washed up and McCoy, whose signing everyone applauded, got hurt, which has turned out to be a big loss. Clinton-Dix and Worley never worked out and Canady opted out for the season. The addition of Smith has been a major plus.

Injuries knocked out Dalton, but he helped win a game for the team and, until recently, Erving was injured as well.

In a perfect world, the Cowboys never need Dalton, but we’ve seen how 2020 has treated the best laid plans. The emergency use of Dalton was supposed to be for a few games to keep the teams head above water in case Prescott got hurt and was going to miss a few weeks. Dalton wasn’t supposed to be starting for the majority of the season.

The offseason plan was solid, the Cowboys brought in good options to help improve the team. They didn’t just patch up holes with street level players as they usually do, they added good (so we thought) players.

Each offseason Cowboys fans scream about the lack of aggressiveness from the front office. They want the team to be more assertive in acquiring talent to get better. And here was Dallas, making the moves to improve this offseason, they just haven’t worked out.

It would be sad if the Cowboys abandoned their approach from this offseason and went back to bargain bin shopping. This year’s results shouldn’t discourage them from being aggressive in the future.

The hope is the Cowboys will continue to find ways to get better each offseason and maximize their resources. Becoming skittish because one year didn’t work out isn’t the sign of a strong front office. The results from 2020 just means the Cowboys have to choose the players more wisely.

Dallas had a solid plan and it should be applied in the future. It didn’t pay off this season, but that’s no reason to throw the blueprints away.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi

Dolphins’ Byron Jones signing looks much different after market reset

Dolphins’ Byron Jones signing looks much different after market reset

Once upon a time, Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones was the highest-paid corner in football. And while it was only seven months ago that this was the case, it is quickly starting to feel like a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Because despite Jones’ lack of availability over the last few games, he’s still very much a high-end cornerback who figures to help bolster Miami’s pass defense once he becomes uninhibited and fully available to play. And Miami’s record-setting contract signing of Jones is now very suddenly very much a reasonable rate thanks to a slew of added cornerback contracts this summer.

The latest comes from Baltimore for CB Marlon Humphrey — his extension was announced this morning and is good for 5-years and nearly $100M. Jones didn’t sniff that kind of money in free agency this spring, the Dolphins signed him to a deal worth an average of $16.5M per season. That figure now ranks Jones at No. 5 overall among cornerbacks in the NFL, trailing the following talents with new deals since the spring:

  1. CB Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams: $20M per season
  2. CB Marlon Humprhey, Baltimore Ravens: $19.75M per season
  3. CB TreDavious White, Buffalo Bills: $17.25M per season
  4. CB Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles: $16.683M per season
  5. CB Byron Jones, Miami Dolphins: $16.50M per season

And Jones’ contract isn’t done getting lapped yet, either. The New Orleans Saints are facing an extension for CB Marshon Lattimore in the near future as well — or if he subsequently hits the open market, he may well surpass Ramsey’s $20M per season. And before you know it, Jones will be between CB8 and CB10 on the NFL’s pay scale.

The groin injury isn’t how Miami wanted his tenure with the Dolphins to start, but it is clear the Dolphins properly read the room with paying Jones what they did relative to the new contracts that have come since.

Dolphins CB Byron Jones looking more unlikely to play in Week 4

Dolphins CB Byron Jones looking more unlikely to play in Week 4

If the Miami Dolphins are going to get their defensive secondary back at full strength for Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks, they’re running out of time to make it happen. The Dolphins have both cornerbacks Byron Jones and Xavien Howard listed on the team’s injury report as of yesterday — although Howard is a limited participant in practice and should play so long as there are no significant flareups.

Jones, on the other hand, is not looking promising for Miami. The high-priced cornerback signed in Miami this offseason — landing what was a record-setting contract at the time of his agreement in Miami. And through three weeks, Jones has missed more time than he’s played on account of an ugly looking groin injury suffered on the opening possession of Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. It shouldn’t have surprised anyone to see Miami hold out Jones against Jacksonville in Week 3 on a short week — but the Dolphins could most definitely use Jones’ services this week to help combat Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson and company.

But if Jones isn’t physically ready to go, he is isn’t physically ready to go. It puts Miami in a challenging spot, given that Jones would be the perfect assignment for Seahawks WR DK Metcalf. That role will now presumably go to Dolphins CB Xavien Howard, presuming he can indeed play on Sunday against Seattle. Rookie Noah Igbinoghene is likely to get the call against the “other” Seattle wide receiver, Tyler Lockett.

Igbinoghene’s selection in the 2020 NFL Draft certainly surprised some Dolphins fans, but given the durability concerns of Howard and the untimely injury to Byron Jones, it looks like a critical selection already after just his first month as an NFL player. There are ups and downs to be had and experienced — Week 4 against Lockett figures to be the next lesson for Igbinoghene on the gridiron.

Jags release list of 6 inactive for Week 3 game vs. Dolphins

D.J. Chark and Brandon Linder were officially listed amongst the Jags inactives for Thursday Night Football.

The Jacksonville Jaguars released their list of inactives for Week 3’s Thursday Night prime-time game against the Miami Dolphins. This week, receiver Dede Westbrook wasn’t amongst the group as many expected due to D.J. Chark (chest/back) being ruled out early Thursday afternoon. Likely starting in his place will be Keelan Cole.

The other notable player to surface on the list, of course, was Brandon Linder, who the Jags ruled out on the final injury report with a knee injury. Starting in his place will be veteran Tyler Shatley who has started in seven games at center.

With Westbrook seeing his first action of the year it will be interesting to see if he also takes some snaps as a returner as rookie Chris Claybrooks had some muffed returns Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

As for the Dolphins, there was only one notable listed on their group of inactives and that was cornerback Byron Jones (Achilles/groin), who was also ruled out on the final injury report like Linder. Starting in his place will likely be first-round rookie Noah Igbinoghene.

Report: D.J. Chark ‘trending upward’ for game vs. Dolphins with chest and back injuries

Jags WR DJ Chark will be a game time decision for Thursday night, but NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that he’s ‘trending upward.’

While we will ultimately know his status closer to the game, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark is trending in the right direction health-wise for tonight’s Thursday Night Football battle against the Miami Dolphins.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was able to provide an update on the third-year receiver early Thursday morning after Chark was limited in practice Monday and Tuesday, but missed Wednesday’s session and was ruled questionable on the final injury report.

If Chark can play, it would give Gardner Minshew II his top target as Chark accumulated 73 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019 and went to the Pro Bowl. This year, Chark has only managed to garner seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, but that’s been because Minshew has done a good job spreading the ball around.

Having Chark suit up could also be a huge issue for the Dolphins as they ruled out starting cornerback Byron Jones with a groin and Achilles injury. Starting in his place will be first-round rookie Noah Igbinoghene, who had a rough Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, allowing seven completions for over 140 yards and two touchdowns. With that being the case, our comrades over at Dolphins Wire believe Miami should utilize Xavien Howard to cover Chark if he plays.

If Chark is held out of the game, things could be a little closer, but still favorable for the Jags. Their depth at receiver is on a strength of the team and there are several others who could step up in the absence of Chark like Keelan Cole or Dede Westbrook (who was inactive Weeks 1-2). They’ve also received solid contributions from rookies Laviska Shenault Jr. and Collin Johnson.

Clearly, we’ll know more about Chark’s status when the Jags release their list of inactives. However, if the Jags want to allow him more time to heal up, this might be the right time because the Dolphins have struggled mightily on defense.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

How should Dolphins cover WR DJ Chark without CB Byron Jones?

How should Dolphins cover WR DJ Chark without CB Byron Jones?

The Miami Dolphins will enter tonight’s contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars without veteran cornerback Byron Jones, who was injured early in Miami’s Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills. For a team that has generally had their best players available to them early this season, Jones’ loss looms as a big one for Miami — especially against a young quarterback in Gardner Minshew who is playing at a high level as he attempts to position the Jaguars to not draft Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

A win against Miami would go a long way in Minshew achieving that goal — but the Dolphins are desperate for their first win on the season and will be bringing a lot of added urgency in Week 3. But they’ll need to solve the riddle of how to neutralize the Jaguars’ best receiver without arguably their best cornerback in Jones.

The answer here is simple: Xavien Howard is on the call. Because while the Dolphins elected not to mirror Stefon Diggs in Week 2 with Howard due to Diggs’ quickness and route running ability, Chark is a matchup that is much more favorable for Howard in one on ones. Both players are big, physical and Chark likes to win vertically down the field — he won’t be cooking Howard on quick whip routes in the shallows like Diggs had the potential to do.

So while the Dolphins coaching staff spoke about needing more answers and calls in coverage, their launch point this week is really quite simple in that Howard needs to be in assignment on Chark to help wrestle and jostle for positioning at the catch point. And given Minshew’s youth and ambition as a passer, this might be the right time for Howard to get back into the interception scene after a long drought. The Dolphins and Jaguars kickoff tonight at 8:20 PM EST and hopefully Howard is up to the task.

Final injury report for Week 3: Jags rule Chark as questionable, Linder ruled OUT vs. Dolphins

The Jags may be without two key offensive starters against the Miami Dolphins, who have a key defensive injury of their own to deal with.

The Jacksonville Jaguars could be without several key players for their Thursday Night Football battle with the Miami Dolphins, most of which are on the offensive side.

As expected, the Jags ruled center Brandon Linder out after he sustained a knee injury in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. With him set to be sidelined, Tyler Shatley, who has seven career starts at center (15 starts overall) will start in his place.

Receiver D.J. Chark Jr. was ruled questionable and didn’t practice Wednesday. He was limited both on Monday and Tuesday so his status could go either way come game time. Luckily, if he can’t go the Jags a pretty strong at receiver with Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook (who has been inactive all season), and rookies Laviska Shenault Jr. and Collin Johnson behind him.

As mentioned earlier, kicker Josh Lambo was ruled out with a hip injury and will be going on injured reserve. Starting in his place will be practice squad rookie Brandon Wright from Georgia State University.

The only two other players to surface on the injury report for the Jags, Tyler Davis and Brandon Watson, were full participants in practice and were left off the status column.

As for the Dolphins, they ruled their star cornerback Byron Jones out with a hip and Achilles injury, which means rookie Noah Igbinoghene will start in his place. In their last game, the first-rounder struggled mightily so his matchups on the outside will be worth watching Thursday.

The Dolphins also ruled backup safety Clayton Fejedelem out, too, while all of the others on their injury report were full participants.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

Dolphins’ secondary depth likely to be tested amid Byron Jones injury

Dolphins’ secondary depth likely to be tested amid Byron Jones injury

The Miami Dolphins’ decision this past April to draft Noah Igbinoghene in the 1st-round of the 2020 NFL Draft was one that raised some eyebrows — but it took all of two weeks for the decision to prove just how important the secondary is to these Miami Dolphins under the direction of Brian Flores. In a perfect world, cornerback Byron Jones doesn’t hurt his groin on the game’s first possession against the Buffalo Bills and Jones’ experience covering Bills receiver Stefon Diggs could have led to a vasty different result. But Jones did blow out his groin. And Stefon Diggs obliged by baptizing Igbinoghene with a barrage of routes. And receptions.

If the Dolphins were going to endure a loss in the secondary, the Bills are just about the worst team in the league to experience it against. The team is relentless with their depth at receiver and spreads the field to isolate matchups effectively.

But where the Dolphins go from here will be a big test of just how far this unit has come in a very little amount of time. The Dolphins will play again on Thursday night — so don’t expect to see much of Byron Jones, if any, against Jacksonville. Can Miami take that loss in stride? If so, consider it a testament to Miami’s commitment to getting their coverage right. The pass defense was sufficient against the Patriots before playing abysmal against the Bills. Igbinoghene may not draw a tougher assignment all year then being thrust into shadowing Diggs on a moment’s notice on game day. And in the long run, he will be fine. But Sunday afternoon was not his finest hour.

Xavien Howard will have to return to his ballhawking ways rather quickly to help the Dolphins absorb the loss — and Nik Needham must play an exponentially better football game in any additional snaps he takes in the nickel defense. Needham, a darling from 2019’s season, was ineffective on Sunday as well. Miami’s identity as a team is rooted in their secondary. They’ll need to start playing like it on Thursday, presumably without their best player, if the Dolphins are going to avoid falling to 0-3.

Bills at Dolphins: Wednesday injury reports

Injury reports for both the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins ahead of their Week 2 meeting in 2020.

Here are the first injury reports for the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins from Wednesday ahead of their Week 1 meeting at Hard Rock Stadium:

Buffalo Bills (1-0)

Did not practice

  • WR John Brown (foot)
  • LB Tremaine Edmunds (shoulder)
  • LB Matt Milano (hamstring)
  • LB Del’Shawn Phillips (quad)

Limited

  • LB Tyrel Dodson (neck)
  • QB Jake Fromm (quarantine)

Full practice

  • DT Vernon Butler (hamstring)

Notes:

Both Edmunds and Milano exited Week 1 vs. the Jets due to injury. … Brown did not appear to get injured on Sunday but still missed practice. … Butler is on track to play his first game with the Bills vs. the Dolphins.

Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Did not practice

  • LB Elandon Roberts (concussion)

Limited

  • S Clayton Fejedelem (pectoral)
  • WR Jakeem Grant (calf)
  • CB Xavien Howard (knee)
  • CB Byron Jones (ankle)
  • WR DeVante Parker (hamstring)

Full practice

  • LB Kyle Van Noy (hand)
  • WR Preston Williams (knee)

Notes:

Starting cornerbacks Howard & Jones both played Week 1 vs. the Patriots. … This was the Dolphins’ first 2020 injury report that did not feature rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa. … Parker did not play in the second half against the Pats.

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ESPN reveals Cowboys’ weakness, but coaching staff has a plan

Dallas didn’t land an elite safety and lost its Pro Bowl cornerback, but the new DB coach says all his guys will be able to multitask.

Sizing up the Cowboys roster is still largely a speculative effort. A lack of preseason games and a shortened training camp with tight controls on revealing what’s happening behind those practice field doors has left fans and experts alike with very little information to work with, making for lots of guesswork when it comes to grading players.

Thanks to Sunday night’s not-ready-for-primetime televised practice that barely televised any actual football, judging the 2020 Cowboys- or any NFL team- still comes down to how they look on paper. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has done just that, attempting to identify the biggest Achilles heel for each squad as the season draws nearer.

In Dallas, he sees the secondary as the club’s primary deficiency. But it’s not at the position viewed as most troublesome when the 2019 season ended.

Barnwell’s list looks at the 20 teams deemed most likely to make the 2020 postseason, and spotlights the weakest link, whether it’s an injury that’s left one unit severely depleted, a COVID-19 opt-out that’s exposed a shallow depth chart, a less-than-ideal contractual entanglement, or plain and simple bad roster makeup.

In Dallas, he says, the Achilles heel is… cornerback, not safety. High-profile flirtings with Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams have made it pretty clear to the rest of the league that the Cowboys felt their back end was exposed, so to speak. And while many expected the club to shore up the safety spot with Xavier McKinney or Grant Delpit (or even Antoine Winfield Jr. or Jeremy Chinn) in the 2020 draft, the team elected to sit tight with Xavier Woods, Darian Thompson, Donovan Wilson, and the newly-acquired HaHa Clinton-Dix.

The team was able to land Alabama corner Trevon Diggs in the second round, though, and also brought in Reggie Robinson, a potential diamond in the rough at the position. So what gives Barnwell pause about the CB state in Dallas?

“[I]t took a step back at cornerback after losing Byron Jones to the Dolphins in free agency,” he writes. “The Cowboys re-signed Anthony Brown, who should start in the slot, and Chidobe Awuzie will likely return as a starter on one side, but they’re hoping to replace Jones by having someone emerge from a committee.

“[Jourdan] Lewis is the favorite on paper to emerge as the starter, but minor injuries to Lewis and Awuzie have created an opportunity” for someone else, he points out.

That someone else could be Diggs, who has, by all accounts, had a very impressive camp. In fact, Barnwell notes, “he has the most upside of the bunch and figures to be a regular by the end of the season.”

Robinson and veteran Daryl Worley also figure to factor in as well, along with cornerbacks Chris Westry, Saivion Smith, C.J. Goodwin, and Deante Burton.

But new Cowboys defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist has hinted recently that outsiders should stop drawing such a sharp distinction between safeties and cornerbacks. Because he’s not. In fact. he’s expecting everyone in both groups to do both jobs.

“I’ll tell you what I told all the DBs: ‘Hey guys, you guys play DB,'” Linguist said Saturday, according to the team website. “Don’t lock yourself into a position or lock yourself into thinking you’re any one thing. Learn them all. There’s multiple spots back there.”

Besides the aforementioned minor injuries to Lewis and Awuzie, Woods has also joined the list of the walking wounded. The Louisiana Tech product left Sunday’s practice session with a groin injury and did not return, although head coach Mike McCarthy said he wasn’t concerned about Woods’ status.

Still, a high attrition rate among the defensive backs may mean more chances for all of them to do some cross-training.

“By no means are you just one position for us,” Linguist said. “You play defensive back, and we all know how this thing kind of goes throughout the season. We’ll see multiple people at multiple different positions.

“If I know exactly where the safety is and I’m a corner, well, that’s going to help me better understand what my technique is at corner,” he continued. “If I know exactly what a corner is doing at the safety position, it can help me move six inches to the left or six inches to the right and be successful.”

“I think one of the worst things you can do is say ‘This is what I am,'” Linguist said. “Because what it’s going to allow us to do is plug and play the next best person, the next best player – not necessarily just the ‘backup’ of the position. How can we find the best spots – six, seven, eight DBs – and get them on the field together in a rotation.”

It sounds great on paper. Right now, though, that’s all fans have to go on. The multitasking strategy will have its chance to play out in the real world soon enough.

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