Is Morris Claiborne Battling for the #3 CB?

It’s a broken record that keeps playing the same tune over and over again, and eventually someone will wise up and throw that record away. I’m talking about Morris Claiborne, and as you know by now, he’ll be missing more action and more preseason snaps due to “injury” – c’mon man.

Every camp we think Claiborne is going to turn it up and turn the corner only to be derailed by injury. He’s not going to be a starting CB for the Cowboys, not a #1 or #2 CB anyway. Orlando Scandrick gets it, and he has a strangle hold on the spot once owned by Claiborne. We also know that Brandon Carr will be the other starting CB.

So where do the Cowboys put Claiborne? Right now, we’re staring at a high 1st rounder as a slot corner, or a nickel back, and we aren’t sure he can even do that. The only thing that is keeping Claiborne from meeting the turk is his draft status, and that’s it. He hasn’t been impressive or all that good in gameday action, and he can’t stay on the field during the actual season.

So, you have to ask yourself, is Claiborne now battling for playing time as the #3 CB? Geez man, pathetic. The answer is yes and his man competition will be from B.W. Webb, a 2013 4th round pick from William & Mary. Webb had a rocky rookie campaign to say the least, so the Cowboys are hoping Webb will play better with another year under this 4-3 defense. Sterling Moore and Terrance Mitchell will also be in the mix.

Tonight we’ll get a better gauge as far as how some of these support players do in live game action. The Cowboys kick-off their preseason tonight against the San Diego Chargers. What are your predictions on the game? View here for more on this!

Outside of Scandrick and Carr, we have a lot of unknowns talent-wise, and this is where the Cowboys could be hurt this year on defense. Webb wants to use his opportunity in this preseason game to shine.  Much of the offseason was centered around the defensive line, as it should be, but the secondary is in trouble right now. We are paper thin with quality depth, and if someone (Claiborne) doesn’t make a leap this year, we’ll be looking at free agency or the 2015 draft to bolster the secondary.

Let’s see what these guys bring tonight!