While the Dallas Cowboys offense has been an inconsistent mess this season, the defense has been the opposite. Even with Sean Lee out of the lineup, they have the talent to take over games and are executing as effectively as anyone in the league right now.
The Cowboys have done a phenomenal job of rebuilding the talent of this defense, and this is the first season that everything is coming together. Demarcus Lawrence is still the most notable and he is having a special season. Byron Jones, however, has been the biggest difference and has transformed what this secondary can do.
Early in his career, the Cowboys used Jones as a hybrid safety. They moved him all over the field and tried to find the best way to utilize his talents. This season, he has moved to a full time corner and he has already established himself as elite in that position.
Even if the Cowboys may not use Jones to shadow a primary matchup, he is continually wiping out one side of the field. Most quarterbacks are not even challenging him, and he is making sure everyone around him is in a better position to succeed.
As a unit, you may not see a lot of talent jump out at you in the secondary, but Jones is making sure they are getting an advantage. Jeff Heath is able to run with freedom, and look to make the big plays that this defense needs to get in order to make up for the offense.
Add on a solid start by Chidobe Awuzie and this unit is really coming together. With Jones, there is tremendous trust and the Cowboys can organize the rest of their defense around that.
Even against the Texans, where DeAndre Hopkins had the best performance of the season against Jones, he was still a huge factor in slowing down the team. With Jones isolated on Hopkins, the wide out will inevitably get an advantage.
While accepting that fact, the rest of the team was able to shut down any other opportunity. Jones will rarely let any individual abuse him in a game, and that makes sure the rest of the defense gets the additional help that they may need.
Jones has always been a special athlete, and now he is really rounding out into one of the most fundamentally sound players. So far, there is a case to be made that he has been the best lock down corner in the NFL this season and this young defense could should continue to get better as the season goes on.
Quarterbacks are already respecting Jones, so it should only be a matter of time before he gets the league wide recognition. The Cowboys defense is making sure the league has to pay attention to them, and Jones has been just as important as anyone else on this roster.
Even if his name is not always being mentioned, and he is not generating the turnovers that push this defense over the edge, he is always contributing to those plays.
No one has to make up for Jones right now, and the defense is able to hide many different issues behind him. With Jones playing so well, the defense line is getting more time to dominate games and the rest of the secondary is not facing the kind of pressure that could break them down.
Jones still needs to prove that he can sustain this level of play, but there is no reason to doubt him. Jones should get even more comfortable in the position and he is young enough to still be developing.
The Cowboys have established a special defensive unit this season and Jones is making it clear that he needs to be a featured part of this defense for the foreseeable future.
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