Dallas Cowboys: 6 matchups to look forward to in 2020
Chidobe Awuzie vs Julio Jones – Week 2
Speaking of filling in a new role, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie is now the number one corner in Dallas. The departure of Byron Jones means Awuzie will have his opportunity to silence any shade thrown his way for not covering the top wide receivers.
Who better to test Awuzie than one of the most dominant wide receivers of the 2010s in Julio Jones. To back up my claim, he made the 2010s All-Decade team.
Awuzie has shown he is more than capable of covering number two wideouts. Taking the spot of Byron Jones ensures he will get the credit he deserves as an overall player.
In 2018 and 2019, Awuzie held opposing quarterbacks to under a 60 percent completion percentage. It will be interesting to see how he fares against one of the best passing attacks in the league.
While the Atlanta Falcons as a team have had their issues, the passing attack has been great. The chemistry between Jones and quarterback Matt Ryan has been great.
Jones hasn’t had fewer than 1,300 receiving yards since the 2013 season where he had 543 yards in five games. It’s safe to say he won’t be missing a beat for a while.
Awuzie finished the 2019 season playing at his best. He had a career-high for tackles (79) and passes defended (14).
The two players faced off in Week 11 of the 2018 season. In this game, Jones caught six passes for 118 yards and one touchdown. Awuzie had seven tackles but allowed up an 83.3 percent completion percentage, a 158.3 passer rating, and one touchdown.
It’s important to note that Jones lined up against many different corners on the Cowboys’ roster this game, including Awuzie. Also, Jones’ only touchdown of the game was against Awuzie.
Put it this way. If Awuzie is not able to at least slowdown Jones this game, then it will be a high scoring game. It will also mean that games against star wide receivers are going to be a headache to watch.
I don’t expect Awuzie to completely lock Jones down. If he can hold Jones to under 75 yards, then that is a very good game. There were only five games in 2019 where Jones was held to under 75 receiving yards.
Is it impossible to lock down Jones? Well, no. It’s a huge task for the 25-year-old corner, but if he builds off his 2019 season then he can at least limit Jones.