Should the Dallas Cowboys pursue Chris Harris Jr.?

The Final Decision

You would figure if you have a group of young guys that can play well, you would want to keep them as long as possible. In doing this, you allow the players to develop together and build up great chemistry.

This would, in turn, have the players involved play better together, or at least you would think so. Would owner Jerry Jones let the biggest piece of the trio walk away?

Sure, Chris Harris Jr. is a good cornerback. The problem is, Byron and Harris would not be on the team together. The Cowboys simply can’t afford it.

If both players can’t be on the team together, that means Jerry would need to pick one over the other. The obvious choice would be Byron Jones.

He is three years younger, has proved he can cover top receivers and is already accustomed to the team. Why change it if it’s working out?

It’s a much safer option to stay with Jones since it is known what can be done with him, while it’s not so sure how Harris would fit in. There are too many uncertainties with Harris to rule out Jones.

Even if the Cowboys were to move on without Byron, relying on Awuzie and Lewis would leave the team in a decent spot. They can even draft a cornerback if they get an opportunity to round out the top three.

I’m a big believer in progressing young players together, so moving away from that seems like a bad move for me. Especially to replace one of the youngsters with an aging veteran.

I love Chris Harris Jr. as a player. He has been great throughout his career, but Dallas doesn’t seem like an optimal place for him.

Let’s not forget Jerry’s unwillingness to get into bidding wars for free agents. Harris is sure to have a fair amount of teams pursuing him, and that can prevent Jerry from making a move.

Even if Harris was to be signed, would it be that much cheaper than Jones? The little bit of cap space saved would be better spent on Jones long-term.

If something isn’t broken, you don’t fix it, do you? The Cowboys’ cornerbacks are all improving year by year and are still young. They need to stick together, and that will ensure Dallas has the best secondary possible.

Discarding Jones for Harris doesn’t make sense. Harris will make more money and fit in better elsewhere.  I would be very surprised if the Cowboys sign any big-name cornerbacks not named Byron Jones this offseason.