Cowboys CBs: Jourdan Lewis Among NFL Best in the Slot?
FRISCO - Count 'em up, and suddenly the Dallas Cowboys might be rich and deep at the challenging position of cornerback.
They're hoping to have competition at the "other corner,'' with Anthony Brown impressing the masses opposite NFL interception leader Trevon Diggs on the perimeter. (More on that in a moment.)
But sometimes left out of the spotlight: Jourdan Lewis, who has been a more than capable option in the slot. In fact, he has settled into a role as Dallas’ starting slot corner.
Want more? Lewis, who was recently ranked the third-best at his role by Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire.
But now along comes a hoped-for contender for snaps.
Does second-year cornerback Kelvin Joseph remains an option on the outside? Could he challenge Brown for a starting spot on the perimeter? Can he help in the slot? Will defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's scheme call for a bigger body to take snaps there?
Dallas is undoubtedly hoping that both Joseph and Nashon Wright will make notable improvements in their respective second seasons with the team. Knowing that their two top options [Diggs and Brown] are strong enough to anchor a formidable secondary, maybe both Joseph and Wright have the luxury of developing at their own pace, barring injury.
As a result, Lewis seems poised to continue on as the Cowboys’ slot corner in 2022 — which is not a bad thing for Dallas, in the least. The 26-year-old Michigan product played in 16 games for Dallas in 2021, making 13 starts. He finished the season combining for 61 tackles, with 11 passes-defensed, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Competition is healthy, and if Joseph avoids legal and NFL punishment, he figures to provide it. But in every season that he's been here, Jourdan Lewis quietly ends up being the guy who gets the slot-corner snaps.
It's going to take more competition than he's ever faced before to nudge him out of that role as the third guy deserving mention as a "starter'' alongside the ballyhooed Diggs and the underrated Brown.
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