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Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones underwent offseason surgery to repair his hip. Jones is reportedly eyeing a return to the Cowboys lineup for the team’s Week 1 matchup with the New York Giants.
Mickey Spagnola of the team’s official site confirms:
“All along the Cowboys have been targeting his return for the season opener, but hopefully at that,” Spagnola writes. “So, don’t expect to see much of Jones in training camp, and if so, certainly no more than individual and walk-through drills.”
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Byron Jones’ Injury Timeline
After his surgery in March and through the start of the summer, Jones anticipated a return for training camp. That timeline has since slowed as his return to the lineup for the preseason looks unlikely.
Jones hasn’t missed a regular-season game in his career and doesn’t plan on bucking that trend.
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Byron Jones Impact to Cowboys Defense
Jones finished 2018 with his first Pro-Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro honor despite not recording an interception or touchdown. He’s the first Cowboys cornerback to be named to the Pro Bowl, since Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins in 2009.
Without gaudy statistics, Jones lends tremendous value to this Cowboy’s defense that ranked among the top ten in scoring defense.
He had 67 tackles last season and a career high 14 passes defended. He added four tackles to that total in the NFC Wild Card playoff win versus the Seattle Seahawks. He followed up that performance with four more tackles in the NFC Divisional playoff game, where the LA Rams won 30-22.
Jones transitioned from safety to cornerback before the 2018 season, when secondary coach, Kris Richard took over. It looks like the scheme that brought Richard success in Seattle is making a tremendous impact to the Cowboys’ secondary after just one season. Richard received a lot of buzz when he was interviewed by the Miami Dolphins as a candidate for their vacant head coaching position. Richard has proven he could consistently mold players and should continue to do so with the Cowboys in the coming seasons.
What helps Jones’ case is his 25.4 forced incompletion percentage when being targeted, which ranks 2nd among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Early Career
He played four years at the University of Connecticut and split two years each at safety and cornerback. He seems to have hit his stride, particularly at cornerback, and should remain there for seasons to come. With another year under Richard’s scheme, it’s safe to say that Byron Jones will be a stalwart in that Cowboys secondary.
Jones’ impact is much anticipated as he’s finally playing in his so-called natural position. He’ll look to build on that as the season approaches. Expect him to be back to his usual ways during week one and should be playing at his peak by the end of week two or three.
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