Cornerback is a position the Houston Texans have to figure out what they are doing in the 2020 offseason and quickly.
Starters Johnathan Joseph and Bradley Roby are out of contract. While the club has Gareon Conley and Vernon Hargreaves under contract, along with former 2019 second-round pick Lonnie Johnson, there is still a degree of ambiguity at the position.
If the Texans are looking for a proven veteran to help with the transition, former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones could be an option.
The former 2015 first-round pick from UConn may not be in the Cowboys’ plans at cornerback. According to quotes from new Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Nolan via Jon Machota of The Athletic, the Cowboys are looking more for playmaking cornerbacks rather than lockdown corners.
Mike Nolan shared a story Troy Aikman once told him while discussing ball hawks: "I'm not really concerned w/ throwing at a corner that I know is just gonna knock the ball down. I throw incompletions all the time. But when I throw at Deion, I gotta be concerned about (a Pick-6)."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 27, 2020
Jones produced six pass breakups and had an 87.7 opposing passer rating in 15 games, 14 of which he started. Quarterbacks preferred to go to other side where third-year cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was, as he saw 97 targets compared to Jones’ 64.
In 2018, when new defensive backs coach Kris Richard switched the 6-0 defensive back from free safety to corner, Jones responded with 14 pass breakups and an 84.7 opposing passer rating in all 16 starts.
The knock on Jones is his dearth of takeaways, or involvement with them. Through 79 career games, Jones has two interceptions, the last being on Oct. 29, 2017, at Washington, and he has just one forced fumble for his career.
If the Texans could get Jones on a one-year, prove-it deal like they were able to get Roby in 2019 and even safety Tyrann Mathieu the year before that, it could give them an added veteran and proven presence on the back end.
The downside would be that as reliable as Jones is, he isn’t a turnover producer. Roby in his 10 games with Houston matched Jones’ career total for interceptions, pick-sixes, and forced fumbles.