Dallas Cowboys: Can Josh Norman be a Byron Jones replacement?

The Case for Jones

Being an athletic freak has its advantages. Having a good football IQ is important. Now, being an athletic freak and having a good football IQ is what makes a player great.

Byron Jones has the athleticism to cover any type of receiver. From future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski to wide receiver Tyreek Hill, he can cover them all. He is fast, strong, and can jump high enough to get the high throws and cut off the ball.

He didn’t have a crazy statistical season this time around regarding forcing turnovers, defending passes and tackles, but he has still played great. Making it difficult for the quarterback and receiver is what he does best.

Byron has been the best in the league at forcing tight-window throws. Since 2018, he did this on 44.1 percent of the targets when he was the nearest defender. Of players with at least 100 targets, he leads the pack in that percentage.

He has also been great at securing tackles, missing only one of 47 tackles in 2019. Giving up only 11.6 yards per completion is also something great to have.

To put it into perspective, let’s compare those two stats to that of cornerback and 2019 defensive player of the year, Stephon Gilmore. Byron’s one missed tackle averages out to 2.1 percent, which is much better to Gilmore’s 10.2 percent. Byron’s 11.6 yards per completion is also 0.1 yard better.

Now, there’s a huge difference in both players’ 2019 season, but this shows that Jones’ is better than it seems. I sure hope owner Jerry Jones realizes that.