Dallas Cowboys potential breakout performer in 2018: Chidobe Awuzie
By Broe Reeve
Former second-rounder Chidobe Awuzie has a chance to be a breakout player at cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys defense in 2018.
Chidobe Awuzie has a chance to be one of the most dominant cornerbacks the Dallas Cowboys have had in years. Awuzie flashed at times during his rookie year last season, although injures limited him to playing in just 10 games. The Cowboys surely hope to see more of the talented Awuzie making plays for the young, new secondary.
Dallas selected Awuzie 60th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft even though some thought they might take him in the first round. “Chido” slid all the way to 28th pick in the second round and the Cowboys pounced.
After being a star cornerback at the University of Colorado, Awuzie had an incredible combine performance. His SPARQ score, which is a formula used to test athleticism, was 137 and he was in the 97th percentile for NFL cornerbacks. At 6’0, 202 pounds, Awuzie ran a 4.43 forty-yard dash and jumped 11-feet in the broad jump. Both of which was very impressive for a cornerback prospect.
The Cowboys hired new secondary coach and defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard in the hopes of turning this young secondary into one of the top units in the league. In only six starts, Awuzie finished with 25 tackles, nine passes defended, one forced fumble, and one interception last season. Richard will try to get the most out of the young corner as he looks to add to those numbers in year two with more playing time.
While Awuzie didn’t play many snaps at the beginning of the season, his playing time went up in the Cowboys last five games. He showed enough in those contests to nail down a starting job heading into 2018.
Here’s what Austin Gail at Pro Football Focus had to say about Awuzie.
"“The former Colorado product played a whopping 252 defensive snaps, 92 percent of which were at left outside cornerback, in Dallas’ final five regular season contests after playing just 57 snaps in their first eleven games. Awuzie allowed just 6.9 yards per reception allowed, ranking fifth among cornerbacks with at least ten receptions allowed in said span.”"
Now healthy and going into his second year, the sky is the limit for Awuzie. The Cowboys hope he can carry the momentum he had towards the end of last season into 2018. With receivers like Odell Beckham Jr., Doug Baldwin, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, T.Y. Hilton, and Mike Evans on Dallas’ upcoming schedule, Awuzie will be tested against some of the elite pass catchers in the NFL.
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Chidobe Awuzie has a chance to break out and be the shutdown cornerback the Dallas Cowboys have needed for years. If the second rounder plays up to his potential, he can be a difference maker for this Cowboys defense.