The Cowboys drafted Byron Jones in the first round not knowing exactly where he would fit in their secondary. Three years later, they still aren’t positive what he is.
As a rookie in 2015, Jones started seven games at safety and four games at corner. It’s the last time he played corner in the NFL, having started all 16 games at safety each of the past two seasons.
But new secondary coach Kris Richard has moved Jones back to cornerback. Richard likes bigger corners, and Jones stands 6 feet, weighs 205 pounds and has 32-inch arms. Jones looks the part.
“Prototypical [corner], fantastic athlete, great height, size, length, speed,” Richard said, via Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. “Everything is there. He has a great attitude, working really hard from Day 1. I’m thrilled to be around him.”
While Richard coached Richard Sherman in Seattle, Jones is not trying to keep up with the Shermans.
“You have to develop your own style of play,” Jones said. “He has as different frame than me. I’m just trying to find my own style out there.”