Dallas Cowboys: Will Byron Jones record a single interception in 2019?

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones will be playing in his first Pro Bowl despite not having recorded a single interception in 2018. Will the takeaways ever come for the former first rounder?

Despite the Dallas Cowboys accomplishments in 2018, starting the season with a 3-5 record and ending it at 10-6, winning the NFC East title and a playoff victory; former first round pick Byron Jones may have achieved something greater.

The fourth-year defensive back was nominated to his first Pro Bowl despite not recording a single interception in 2018. What Jones did do was become the closest thing the league has to a pure shutdown corner in the modern NFL, forcing opposing offensive coordinators to completely avoid his side of the field at times last season.

Selected 27th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by Dallas, Jones would spend his rookie year splitting time between every position in the secondary. His sophomore season, the Cowboys would cement the ultra-talented athlete at safety. Two years later and Jones appeared to be a possible first round bust as a below average defender at his position.

But last offseason, the Cowboys made a move that would change the trajectory of Jones’ career. Dallas hired former Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Kris Richard as the team’s new passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. As the former coach of the Legion of Boom in Seattle, Richard has an affinity for tall cornerbacks.

Richard moved the 6-foot-1, 200 pound Jones from safety to corner, thus revitalizing his career. He would go on to post a career-high 14 pass defends and be hailed by analytics sites like Pro Football Focus as one of the top cover corners in the NFL.

Although Jones is one of the top athletes in the league, having set a new World Record for the standing broad-jump during the Scouting Combine back in 2015, he might possess the worst hands of any player in the NFL. And his suspect play as a safety had many questioning his football instincts as well.

Jones has never been a ballhawking, playmaker in the secondary. During his first four seasons in Dallas, the 26-year old has only posted a total of two interceptions. That tracks with his college career, as Jones recorded eight picks in four years at Connecticut against much more questionable quarterback play.

Now the focus shifts to 2019. In his second season cemented at the cornerback position, and with another offseason of training under his belt, can Jones develop to the point where turnovers become a part of his game? Here’s what the Pro Bowl corner told the Dallas Morning News about his potential for growth in 2019 …

"“There’s so much room for improvement from me and that’s the beautiful part about it. That’s what really makes me excited about next year. It’s like, ‘OK, I learned all these things my first year at corner, let me see what I can look like my second year.’ There’s tons of room for growth.”"

Based on his history, it seems unlikely Byron Jones will ever by the takeaway artist that records numerous turnovers in a season. In fact, the odds are against him recording a single interception in 2019. But if Jones can earn a Pro Bowl nod in his first full season at corner without recording a pick, his growth this offseason should give opposing offensive coordinators nightmares regardless next season.

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