Dallas Cowboys Defense: Regular Season Grades

Dallas Cowboys Secondary Grade: B-

The Cowboys defensive backs are another unit that didn’t have many expectations heading into 2016. Morris Claiborne has spent most of his career wearing the “bust” label; Brandon Carr has been good in spurts but his previous price tag set the bar higher than that; and Orlando Scandrick headed into the season with a surgically repaired knee.

This season, the defensive backs combined for nine total interceptions, which isn’t a total that will gather a lot of attention, but it’s four more than they managed to get last season.

Carr was very solid all season, starting every game and consistently taking on the opposing team’s best receiver. Claiborne was arguably the team’s best cornerback until going down with a groin injury. Scandrick was far from himself, dealing with nagging injuries early in the season, but started to make an impact in the latter half of the season.

The real surprise was the safety position, where Byron Jones, Barry Church, and J.J. Wilcox all exceeded preseason expectations by far. Jones finally got his first career interception and has been the defense’s secret weapon against opposing tight ends. Church led the team in interceptions, was third in tackles, and even forced a fumble, all while missing time with an arm injury.

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As much as this secondary overachieved, expect shakeups before the next season starts. Claiborne, Church, and Wilcox are all free agents this Spring, and Carr may join them unless he takes yet another pay cut, which may not be likely. Look for the team to address the secondary early in the draft for the second time in three years.