The Dallas Cowboys did not have what one would call a good pass-defense last year. They ranked 26th in passing yards per game (251.9) and 28th in opposing completion percentage (66.5). Much of that had to do with the poor play of safeties J.J. Wilcox and Barry Church who allowed numerous big plays throughout the season.
"Church was 25th among safeties in run stops (tackles that stopped an offense from gaining 45 percent of yards to go on first down, 60 percent on second, and 100 percent on third or fourth); Wilcox was 61st," Vince Verhei of Football Outsiders wrote. "That would be fine if their conservative play was taking away home runs, but Dallas gave up 1.03 open-field yards per carry last year, third-worst in the league. (Open-field yards are rushing yards gained at least 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.) The Cowboys also struggled to stop deep passes, ranking 20th in pass coverage on throws that traveled at least 16 yards past the line of scrimmage."
Now Dallas was able to get away with that because they had a dominant, clock-eating offense; running back DeMarco Murray led the league in rushing last year. But with his departure in free agency, other areas of this team are going to have to pick up the slack. Fortunately for the Cowboys, first-round pick Byron Jones may be able to help fix a weakness in the secondary.
"When the Cowboys picked him in the first round, they talked about his ability to be the centerfield safety they have lacked over the last too-many-years-to-count," ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer wrote. "He played safety for two years at Connecticut before moving to cornerback for his final two seasons."
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen jones mentioned New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty as a comparable player. McCourty made the Pro Bowl as a rookie corner in 2010 before becoming an All-Pro safety. If Brandon Carr restructures his contract and Morris Claiborne is healthy enough to contribute, Jones may not see a whole lot of playing time at corner. But moving him to safety would be one way to get him on the field early and potentially address a glaring need on this Dallas defense.
