Should the Dallas Cowboys consider trading Byron Jones?

The Dallas Cowboys are in a tricky contract situation with a few of their stars. Should they avoid being here again by moving another mercurial guy?

The Dallas Cowboys head into this season with very high hopes. Being rated as either a Superbowl Contender or Superbowl Darkhorse by many people who have a take on the topic, they should be in the mix to win it all.

Before a down is even played though, the Cowboys decision-makers may find themselves doing a little punt, passing, and kicking of their own. Although these actions most certainly won’t be on the field of play for Dallas executives, they seem to have quite a few contractual obligations that they may want to address before the season is too far underway.

With Ezekiel Elliott possibly headed for a holdout, Amari Cooper due new money soon, and Dak Prescott on the precipice of a new deal any day now, the Cowboys certainly have their hands full on the bookmaking side of things. After awarding defensive lineman and anchor DeMarcus Lawrence a new and hefty deal over the offseason, they are in the middle of what some would deem a spending spree.

With that spree in mind though, along with the notion that most of any teams cap is taken up by those elite players that make the team what it is, should they be looking to do themselves favors on future potential deals right now? “How would they even do that” is a question that some might ask. They should consider moving cornerback Byron Jones at some point before or during this season.

When thinking about why they would move Jones, it seems a bit contradictory at first, but it really isn’t at all. Yes, for the most part, Jones has been their best corner. Again, yes, Jones was also one of the best corners in the league last year.

He was one of the best for a very peculiar reason though, he didn’t see that many targets come his way. While some might see this as only a good thing, where there are absolutely good qualities that surround this fact of not being targeted by opposing offenses, it isn’t all good.

The lack of targets inevitably meant a lack of interceptions or turnovers, which every team that wants to win big in the NFL must force on an at least semi-regular basis. Whether it be a function of not having the opportunities or being unable to capitalize on those opportunities, Jones was not able to force one, not a single solitary one.

In fact, not only was he not able to land at least one interception during last season, but across his four-year career with the Cowboys, he only has two interceptions combined. Some will point to the fact that he has moved from the safety position to the cornerback, but that actually may make the situation look worse.

To go back a bit, Jones is considered one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, elite by some people’s standards. This inevitably means that he will probably be looking for elite defensive back money when his time comes.

When looking at the average annual value (AAV) of salaries for defensive backs in 2019 and according to spotrac.com, the number one guy is Xavien Howard of the Miami Dolphins with an AAV of $15,050,00. The 15th ranked guy is Kareem Jackson of the Denver Broncos with an AAV of $11,000,000.

Thinking logically, it is safe to say that if Jones doesn’t seek to become the highest-paid guy on the list, that he would at least ask for something in the middle of that which would put him at around 13 to 13.5 million dollars per season. While some may see him as being worth that much money to a team, that isn’t the case in this direction.

The first guy mentioned in Xavien Howard has 11 interceptions across three seasons in the league, with seven coming in only 12 games played last season. Kareem Jackson, who was also mentioned, even had two on last season alone.

When you are going to pay a guy top dollar, regardless of which position or which side of the ball, he has to be an impact guy who makes plays. At Jones’ position, that would come in the form of forcing turnovers, which he just doesn’t do. That is why before the Cowboys consider making him one of the highest-paid defensive backs in the league or letting him walk for nothing in return, they should at least dangle him on the trade market to see what they would get back.

While Jones would certainly be of help to this team in this upcoming season, the Cowboys have a few other options that could get the job done. Although Anthony Brown struggled a bit last season, he has shown that he can play the position. Jourdan Lewis should be chomping at the bit to get a bigger role, this could be his opportunity.

You could even take a look at Mike Jackson Sr., whom they drafted in the fifth round of this past draft. Perhaps they take a shot on a physical specimen like Chris Westry, who could be great with his physical gifts and speed under defensive back whisperer Kris Richard. Regardless of where they go as a result, the Cowboys must consider moving Byron Jones.