At first glance, Dallas Cowboys players Morris Claiborne and Byron Jones have a lot in common.
Both first-round picks. Both members of the defensive secondary. Both elite athletes with good cover skills.
Hopefully for Cowboys fans, that's where the comparison ends though, because while Jones is only just entering his initial NFL offseason and hopeful of making a great first impression on his new employer, Claiborne could be looking the end of his Dallas tenure square in the face.
"The Cowboys have quieted on asking cornerback Brandon Carr to take a pay cut and he remains on the roster, so all signs point to him being in the fold in 2015," writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. "And Orlando Scandrick's contract situation was resolved. This is all bad for Claiborne, who is still working his way back from a torn patellar tendon injury. Had Carr been cut or Scandrick held out in training camp, the door could have cracked open for Claiborne to grab an opportunity and show that he's got something ... or anything."
In three NFL seasons, Claiborne has missed 19 games, including both of Dallas' playoff games this past year. He has amassed all of 88 combined tackles, one forced fumble, three interceptions and 15 passes defensed in that time. The Cowboys declined to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract earlier this offseason, likely signaling their disinterest in continuing their relationship with the underperforming corner.
Unfortunately for Claiborne, who is still rehabbing his latest injury, his best bet to remain with the Cowboys this year or beyond is likely as a nickel or dimeback, but with Cowboys GM Jerry Jones having spent the team's first-round draft pick this past April on UCONN cornerback Byron Jones - a player the team is looking to get on the field as soon as possible - even that avenue to making the roster could be closed for the former top-10 selection.
Still, as Robinson notes, the Cowboys and head coach Jason Garrett could potentially take a different tact to overcome their lack of secondary depth, meaning a possible position switch for the uber-athletic Jones to safety, which could prove to be Claiborne's saving grace.
"Dallas could move Jones to safety in training camp to get him on the field more quickly and resolve potential safety issues. But if Jones remains at corner, that means he is already showing he is good enough to eat into Claiborne's opportunities," Robinson writes.
Jones blew up the NFL rookie scouting combine pre-draft, showing an absolutely mind-boggling amount of agility and athleticism and vaulting himself from likely second or third-round pick into the first.
He came to the NFL with concerns over "stiffness" he showed in man coverage though. Combined with his size (6-foot-1, 199-pounds), speed, ball skills and explosiveness, Jones could prove to ultimately be a better fit at free safety in the NFL and for the Cowboys.
"He's got good height, a frame that can put on good weight, and he can probably do all of that and maintain his speed and leaping ability. Combine that with his awareness skills and you could have a really dynamic safety," DallasCowboys.com writes.
While J.J. Wilcox and Barry Church seem pretty firmly entrenched as starters in the right here and now, Jones could prove the eventual heir apparent at the free safety position in Dallas.
It may not come this season as he'll likely be needed to fill the spot left by Claiborne's potential departure, but a few years down the road he could be manning single high safety looks for the Cowboys defense.
