Jason Peters Big Move: Cowboys Make Permanent Change for Future Hall of Famer?
FRISCO - Jerry Jones admits that Jason Peters - the nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle - was signed by the Dallas Cowboys this month with a vision of him helping exclusively at that spot.
"I didn't plan for him to be able to play guard,'' said Jones, reflecting on Peters making his Dallas debut in Monday's 23-16 win at the Giants and being "one of the highlights for me. ...
"He's a Hall of Fame player. He can really still play and gives us the ability to move him inside or play both tackle spots.''
And now Peters, at age 40 - who has dabbled at other positions over his 19-year career but has built his stellar reputation as a left tackle - might just be locked in at his new spot.
"(In) my conversation with Jason, I asked him about guard when he got here and I think he said he played there two years ago,'' Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. "His position flex was definitely part of our interest. ... But I think clearly his fit particularly next to (rookie) Tyler (Smith) is something that we were interested in because we wanted that veteran presence also to take advantage of his experience for Tyler.
"I think he’s a pretty natural fit for us at guard.''
As 2-1 Dallas readies for a Sunday visit from 1-2 Washington, Peters' 14-snap participation in Week 3 might be the start of something big. He wasn't limited by conditioning as much as it was "the connection and the verbiage, being in tune with the guys next to him and just really getting his legs underneath him,'' as McCarthy noted.
Additionally, the Cowboys are pleased with the gritty work of young Matt Farniok, a center by trade who plugged into the starting lineup after left tackle Tyron Smith (neck, maybe out for the year) and left guard Connor McGovern (ankle, maybe back in a couple of weeks) were lost.
Peters is a superior force compared to McGovern and Farniok, and his combo work with left tackle Smith created a physically imposing presence for a Dallas offensive line also getting good work from center Tyler Biadasz, right guard Zack Martin and right tackle Terence Steele.
The Cowboys are proudly raving about Tyler, chests puffed over picking him in the first round. And now they are doing the same about their clever signing of the Eagles legend Peters.
"Really happy for Jason,'' McCarthy said. "I mean, heck, we don’t have to talk about the kind of player he is. We all recognize that.''
And now Jason Peters is being recognized for the kind of player he is ... as a guard.
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